Alternative method of hemorrhage control in full strength formocresol pulpotomy

This investigation evaluated the success of a formocresol pulpotomy technique in which hemostasis was obtained with the same formocresol dampened cotton pellet used to medicate the root pulp stumps and to compare the findings of this investigation with data of published formocresol pulpotomy studies in which hemorrhage was controlled by traditional means.

Clinical and radiographic data were available for 194 primary molars in 112 patients with follow up times ranging from 5 to 109 months (mean = 38 months).

Overall radiographic success was 87%. The most frequently observed pulpal responses were calcific metamorphosis (34%) and internal resorption (10%). Overall clinical success was 98%. Only 7 of 194 molars were extracted due to radiographic and/or clinical failure. Overall cumulative probability of survival remained high over time with a cumulative survival rate of over 94% over 4 years.

The success rates for this variation of the formocresol technique are comparable to those success rates in the literature where hemostasis was obtained in a separate step using a nonmedicated cotton pellet. The results of this study suggest that using the same cotton pellet dampened with full strength formocresol to obtain hemorrhage control and medicate the root pulp is an acceptable variation of the traditional formocresol pulpotomy technique.