Histopathological evaluation of pulpotomy with Er,Cr:YSGG laser vs formocresol

The purpose of this study was to histologically investigate whether pulpotomy with Er,Cr:YSGG laser is an acceptable alternative for formocresol. Pulpotomy of 48 dog's primary canine teeth was performed with formocresol or Er,Cr:YSGG laser. Histological evaluations on hematoxylin and eosin-stained pulp tissues were made by an optical microscope 7 or 60 days later. Statistical analysis was performed with Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Student's t test. Seven days after pulpotomy, samples treated with laser had significantly favorable histological features in the following measures: continuity of odontoblastic layer (P<0.001), presence of hemorrhage (P<0.008), amount of inflammation (P<0.002), tissue necrosis (P<0.001), internal resorption (P<0.002), level of vascularization (P<0.002), and size of abscess (P<0.041). Similar results were observed 60 days after pulpotomy, except that the differences were not mostly significant due to natural exfoliation of 16 teeth. In conclusion, Er,Cr:YSGG laser system is an acceptable alternative for formocresol in pulpotomy of deciduous teeth.