The floor of the pulp chamber following pulpotomy

The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of pulpal floor damage caused by operator error in a standard pulpotomy exercise, and to determine if this damage produced significant changes in dentin morphology and thickness at the base of the pulp chamber. One hundred and fourteen primary molar teeth were utilized in this study, 61 having pulpotomies and the remainder untreated. The dentin thickness in the furcation was measured on all the teeth and the pulpal floor morphology was examined using both light and scanning electron microscopy. The difference in thickness of dentin in the furcation of pulpotomized and non-pulpotomized teeth was not statistically significant. Less than fourteen per cent of pulpotomized teeth showed damage to the pulpal floor and this damage was only minimal in all cases. This study therefore suggests that damage to the pulpal floor during preparation is unlikely to be a factor contributing to failure of pulpotomies.