Pulp therapy for primary and immature permanent teeth: an overview

Pulp therapy for pediatric patients aims to alleviate pulpal infection, relieve associated symptoms, and, ultimately, preserve the tooth. Primary teeth adequately retain space for their successors and have been described as "the best space maintainers." Therefore, the decision to extract a primary tooth should take into consideration occlusal growth and development as well as the potential outcome of pulp therapy. Maintaining pulpal vitality in young permanent teeth is essential for continued root formation; if vitality is lost, the root will cease growth and remain at an unfavorable length. A systematic approach to diagnosis and treatment planning is imperative, and a good history of signs and symptoms and a detailed evaluation of radiographs are prerequisites to accurate diagnosis. The purpose of this review is to aid dental professionals in correctly establishing a pulpal diagnosis and selecting the appropriate method of pulp therapy to achieve a successful outcome. The article discusses contemporary views on indications and pulp medicaments and presents step-by-step descriptions of pulp treatments for both primary and immature permanent teeth.