Outcomes of vital primary incisor ferric sulfate pulpotomy and root canal therapy. (1/23)

PURPOSE: To compare ferric sulfate (FS) pulpotomy and primary tooth root canal therapy (RCT) in cariously exposed vital pulps of primary incisors. METHODS: A total of 133 incisors in 50 children were randomly selected to be treated by FS pulpotomy (64) or RCT (69). RESULTS: Two years after treatment, 77 incisors (41 FS pulpotomy, 36 RCT) were available for clinical and radiographic examination. There was no clinical evidence of pathosis in 78% of FS pulpotomy-treated and 100% of RCT-treated incisors. Two independent pediatric dentists evaluated periapical radiographs of the treated incisors. Incisors were classified into 1 of 4 treatment outcomes: N, normal treated incisor; H, nonpathologic radiographic change present; PO, pathologic change present, but not requiring immediate extraction; PX, pathologic change present, extract immediately. Survival analysis was applied. A moderate level of agreement between raters was found for incisors with outcome PX (K = 0.54). Intra-rater reliability was substantial for incisors with outcome PX (K = 0.61). No difference was demonstrated in the proportion of FS pulpotomy- and RCT-treated incisors rated PX at the 2-year recall (x2 = 0.6). RCT incisors demonstrated a significantly higher survival rate than FS pulpotomy incisors at 2 years (p = 0.04). CONCLUSIONS: Treatment outcomes for RCT incisors were not significantly different from FS pulpotomy-treated incisors at 2 years; however, at 2 years the survival rate of RCT incisors was statistically greater than that of FS pulpotomy-treated incisors.  (+info)

A randomized controlled trial comparing mandibular local anesthesia techniques in children receiving nitrous oxide-oxygen sedation. (2/23)

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that dental pain control using infiltration/intrapapillary injection was less effective than inferior alveolar block/long buccal infiltration anesthesia in children. A total of 101 healthy children, aged 5-8 years, who had no contraindication for local anesthetic and who needed a pulpotomy treatment and stainless steel crown placement in a lower primary molar were studied. A 2-group randomized blinded controlled design was employed comparing the 2 local anesthesia techniques using 2% lidocaine, 1:100,000 epinephrine. All children were given 40% nitrous oxide. Children self-reported pain using the Color Analogue Scale. The study was conducted in a private pediatric dental practice in Mount Vernon, Wash. Overall pain levels reported by the children were low, and there were no differences between conditions at any point in the procedure. Pain reports for clamp placement were block/long buccal 2.8 and infiltration/intrapapillary 1.9 (P = .1). Pain reports for drilling were block/long buccal 2.0 and infiltration/intrapapillary 1.8 (P = .7). Nine percent of children required supplementary local anesthetic: 4 of 52 (7.7%) in the block/long buccal group and 5 of 49 (10.2%) in the infiltration/intrapapillary group (P = .07). The hypothesis that block/long buccal would be more effective than infiltration/intrapapillary was not supported. There was no difference in pain control effectiveness between infiltration/intrapapillary injection and inferior alveolar block/long buccal infiltration using 2% lidocaine with 1:100,000 epinephrine when mandibular primary molars received pulpotomy treatment and stainless steel crowns.  (+info)

Mineral trioxide aggregate as a pulpotomy agent in primary molars: an in vivo study. (3/23)

The retention of pulpally involved deciduous tooth in a healthy state until the time of normal exfoliation remains to be one of the challenges for Pedodontists. A scientific noise has been generated about several materials some of which have been popular pulpotomy medicaments. Concerns have been raised about the toxicity and potential carcinogenicity of these materials, and alternatives have been proposed to maintain the partial pulp vitality, however to date no material has been accepted as an ideal pulpotomy agent. Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) is a biocompatible material which provides a biological seal. MTA has been proposed as a potential medicament for various pulpal procedures like pulp capping with reversible pulpitis, apexification, repair of root perforations, etc. Hence the present study was done to evaluate the efficacy of MTA as a pulpotomy medicament. A clinical and radiographic evaluation was done on children where MTA was used as pulpotomy medicament in primary molars for a period of 6 months and it was found to be a successful material.  (+info)

Persuasive evidence that formocresol use in pediatric dentistry is safe. (4/23)

Concern has been expressed about the safety of formocresol use in pediatric dentistry. Formaldehyde, a primary component in formocresol, is a hazardous substance and is considered a probable human carcinogen by Health Canada. However, humans inhale and ingest formaldehyde daily and also produce this compound as part of normal cellular metabolism. The human body is physiologically equipped to handle this exposure through multiple pathways for oxidation of formaldehyde to formate and incorporation into biological macromolecules via tetrahydrofolate-dependent one-carbon biosynthetic pathways. Recent re-evaluation of earlier research that examined potential health risks associated with formaldehyde exposure has shown that the research was based on flawed assumptions, which resulted in erroneous conclusions. This review examines more recent research about formaldehyde metabolism, pharmacokinetics and carcinogenicity, the results of which indicate that formaldehyde is probably not a potent human carcinogen under conditions of low exposure. Extrapolation of these research results to pediatric dentistry suggests an inconsequential risk of carcinogenesis associated with formaldehyde use in pediatric pulp therapy. Areas for further investigation are suggested.  (+info)

Biological response of pulps submitted to different capping materials. (5/23)

Pulp capping is a procedure that comprises adequate protection of the pulp tissue exposed to the oral environment, aiming at the preservation of its vitality and functions. This study evaluated the response of the dental pulps of dog teeth to capping with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) or calcium hydroxide P.A. For that purpose, 37 teeth were divided into two groups, according to the capping material employed. Two dogs were anesthetized and, after placement of a rubber dam, their pulps were exposed in a standardized manner and protected with the experimental capping materials. The cavities were then sealed with resin-modified glass ionomer cement and restored with composite resin. After sixty days, the animals were killed and the specimens were processed in order to be analyzed with optic microscopy. It was observed that MTA presented a higher success rate compared to calcium hydroxide, presenting a lower occurrence of infection and pulp necrosis.  (+info)

Histologic evaluation of pulpotomy performed with ethyl-cyanoacrylate and calcium hydroxide. (6/23)

The aim of this study was to evaluate histological aspects of the pulp-dentin complex of dogs submitted to pulpotomy and capped with ethyl-cyanoacrylate and calcium hydroxide. Thirty dog teeth were divided into 2 groups of 15 as follows: Group 1 - ethyl-cyanoacrylate; Group 2 - calcium hydroxide. The pulpotomies were carried out following all of the treatment precautions recommended for dogs. After 30 days the specimens were submitted to histological preparation and were then blindly evaluated by a histologist. Data were analyzed statistically by the Fisher exact test, comparing the two groups. After 30 days, the presence of a hard tissue barrier was observed in 83.3% of Group 1, and in 100% of Group 2 (p = 0.478). A continuous hard tissue barrier was observed in 50% of the ethyl-cyanoacrylate group and 75% of the calcium hydroxide group (p = 0.652). It can be concluded that both materials induced hard tissue barrier formation, but Group 2 had a higher percentage than Group 1, with no significant statistical differences; the differences observed between the different barriers (continuous/non-continuous) were not significant between groups and there was no pulpal necrosis in either group.  (+info)

Dental considerations in the management of children suffering from sickle cell disease: a case report. (7/23)

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetically derived disorder characterized by the presence of an abnormal hemoglobin molecule, designated as hemoglobin S (HbS). It is one of the most common genetic disorder worldwide, with an estimated 70 million people carrying the sickle gene. This article describes the dental considerations in managing a 6-year-old child suffering from SCD (SS type).  (+info)

Importance of the diagnosis in the pulpotomy of immature permanent teeth. (8/23)

Pulpotomy is a conservative therapy performed to remove the inflamed coronal portion of the pulp and preserve the vitality of the remaining radicular pulp. This article reports two cases of immature permanent mandibular molars with clinical signs of pulp vitality and radiographic images of periapical bone rarefaction, which were treated with calcium hydroxide pulpotomy. In Case 1, pulpotomy was performed in a single session, while in Case 2 two sessions were required to complete the treatment. Clinical and radiographic follow up within 13 and 9 months, respectively, showed hard tissue barrier and new bone formation as well as progression of root development. These outcomes are confirmatory that an accurate clinical/radiographic assessment of pulp vitality is of paramount importance for the correct diagnosis and indication of pulpotomy in cases of young permanent teeth with incomplete root formation.  (+info)