GENDER AND DEMOGRAPHIC DISPARITIES IN SELECTIVE CARIES REMOVAL OUTCOMES: IMPLICATIONS FOR PERSONALIZED DENTAL CARE IN PAKISTAN

To evaluate the influence of gender, age groups, and socioeconomic factors on treatment success, pain responses, and pulp vitality preservation in deep caries management using different cavity disinfectants. Methodology: This quasi-experimental study was conducted at the Department of Community Dentistry, LUMHS, Jamshoro, from May 2023 to November 2023. Sixty-nine patients (35 males, 34 females) aged 20-40 years with deep carious lesions were treated with selective caries removal using Aloe vera extract (n=23), 0.2% chlorhexidine gel (n=23), or no disinfectant (n=23). Pain was assessed using Visual Analog Scale (VAS) pre- and postoperatively. Pulp vitality was evaluated at one-week follow-up. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 22.0. Results: Females showed higher baseline pain scores (mean VAS 5.8 ± 2.1) compared to males (4.2 ± 1.9, p=0.02). Treatment success rates differed significantly by gender: females 70.6% vs males 54.3% (p=0.04). The gender-treatment interaction was significant (F=4.32, p=0.018), with females responding better to Aloe vera (83.3%) than males (54.5%). Age group 20-30 showed better outcomes (68.2%) than 31-40 years (52.0%). Urban females had the highest success rate (85.7%), while rural males had the lowest (45.5%). Conclusion: Gender significantly influences treatment outcomes in selective caries removal, with females showing better responses particularly to natural disinfectants. These findings support the development of gender-sensitive approaches in caries management and highlight the importance of considering demographic factors in treatment planning.