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Effectiveness of 4 Pulpotomy Techniques—Randomized Controlled Trial

¹ Department of Restorative Dentistry & Periodontology, Dental School, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Goethestrasse 70, 80336 Munich, Germany;
² Institute for Medical Statistics & Epidemiology, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technical University, Munich, Germany; and
³ Department of Medical Informatics, Biometry & Epidemiology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany;

^* corresponding author, khuth{at}dent.med.uni-muenchen.de

Pulpotomy is the accepted therapy for the management of cariously exposed pulps in symptom-free primary molars; however, evidence is lacking about the most appropriate technique. The aim of this study was to compare the relative effectiveness of the Er:YAG laser, calcium hydroxide, and ferric sulfate techniques with that of dilute formocresol in retaining such molars symptom-free. Two hundred primary molars in 107 healthy children were included and randomly allocated to one of the techniques. The treated teeth were blindly re-evaluated after 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Descriptive data analysis and logistic regression analysis, accounting for each patient’s effect by a generalized estimating equation (GEE), were used. After 24 months, the following total and clinical success rates were determined (%): formocresol 85 (96), laser 78 (93), calcium hydroxide 53 (87), and ferric sulfate 86 (100). Only calcium hydroxide performed significantly worse than formocresol (p = 0.001, odds ratio = 5.6, 95% confidence interval 2.0–15.5). In conclusion, calcium hydroxide is less appropriate for pulpotomies than is formocresol.

KEY WORDS: pulpotomy • primary molars • RCT