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Histologic assessment of human pulp response to capping with mineral trioxide aggregate and a novel endodontic cement
Mohammad Hassan Zarrabi1, Maryam Javidi, Amir Hossein Jafarian
1Department of Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry and Dental Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Introduction:
This study was conducted to compare human pulp response to mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and a novel endodontic cement (NEC) when used as pulp capping materials after a time period of 2 and 8 weeks.
Methods:
Thirty-two premolar teeth that were scheduled for extraction for orthodontic reasons were exposed and capped with either MTA or NEC. Half of the specimens underwent extraction and histologic analysis after 2 weeks, and the remaining half were assessed after 8 weeks. Each slide was graded histologically according to the morphology of the dentinal bridge, thickness of the dentinal bridge, presence of odontoblast cells, and inflammation of the pulp.
Results:
Both MTA and NEC showed significantly better pulp response after 8 weeks compared with 2 weeks, with a thicker and more tubular pattern of the dentinal bridge, less pulp inflammation, and a palisade pattern of odontoblast cells. Although MTA and NEC groups had no significant difference in each measure in both time intervals, NEC induced a thicker dentinal bridge with less pulp inflammation at both 2 weeks and 8 weeks, compared with MTA.
Conclusions:
MTA and NEC showed similar biocompatibility and favorable response in pulp capping treatment and inducing the formation of the dentinal bridge.
