Calcium hydroxide partial pulpotomy is an alternative to formocresol pulpotomy based on a 3-year randomized trial

Considering formocresol's toxicity, Ca(OH)(2) partial pulpotomy (PP) was studied as a treatment alternative.

To compare success rates of Ca(OH)(2) PP versus formocresol pulpotomy (FP) treatment of pulpally exposed lower primary molars.

A total of 84 lower primary molars, which met study criteria, from 56 child patients were randomly assigned for each treatment. After treatment, blinded clinical and radiographic evaluation with 96.9% and 90% reliability was performed at 6-month intervals to determine treatment success/failure. Chi-squared test was used to compare success rates between the two treatments.

The success rates from 6 to 36 months for PP ranged from 95.03% to 75%, whereas for FP, it was 92.7-74.2%. The success rates for the two treatments at each 6-month interval were not different (P ≥ 0.05). The most frequent failure was internal resorption, affecting five FP teeth and three PP teeth. The resorption was arrested in five of the teeth and was replaced by a radiopaque calcified tissue in one case.

Considering the favourable clinical and radiographic success rate of PP and the potentially toxic effects of formocresol leads us to recommend the use of PP instead of FP in primary teeth with deep carious lesions.