An introduction to minimum intervention dentistry.

Minimum intervention dentistry (MI) can be defined as a philosophy of professional care concerned with the first occurrence, early detection, and earliest possible cure of disease on micro levels, followed by minimally invasive, patient-friendly treatment to repair irreversible damage caused by such disease. The benefit for patients from MI lies in better oral health through disease healing and not merely on symptom relief. Furthermore, minimally invasive treatment assists in reducing widespread patient dental anxieties. MI has the potential for dentists to apply a more conservative approach to caries treatment and simultaneously offer patients less invasive, health-oriented treatment options.