Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 8, 2025
Author Spotlight: Enhancing Dental Pulp Research with Improved Mouse Models
Published on: October 27, 2023
Outcomes reporting in systematic reviews on vital pulp treatment: A scoping review for the development of a core
Siobhan Cushley1, Henry F Duncan2, Fionnuala T Lundy1
1School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
Background:
A large number of research reports on vital pulp treatment (VPT) has been published over the last two decades. However, heterogeneity in reporting outcomes of VPT is a significant challenge for evidence synthesis and clinical decision-making.
Objectives:
To identify outcomes assessed in VPT studies and to evaluate how and when outcomes are measured. A subsidiary aim was to assess evidence for selective reporting bias in the included studies. The results of this review will be used to inform the development of a core outcome set (COS) for endodontic treatments.
Methods:
Multiple healthcare bibliographic databases, including PubMed/MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, Scopus, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Web of Science were searched for systematic reviews published between 1990 and 2020, reporting on VPT. Screening, data extraction and risk of bias assessment were completed independently by two reviewers. Outcomes' information was extracted and aligned with a healthcare taxonomy into five core areas: survival, clinical/physiological changes, life impact, resource use and adverse events.
Results:
Thirty-six systematic reviews were included, 10 reporting on indirect pulp capping or selective caries removal, nine on direct pulp capping, eight on pulpotomy and nine on combined VPTs. There was considerable variation in the outcomes reported in these reviews and their included studies. Clinician-reported outcomes were used considerably more often than patient-reported outcomes. A range of instruments and time points were used for measuring outcomes. Several of the reviews were assessed as having low risk of selective reporting bias, but many did not specifically report this domain, whilst others did not provide risk of bias assessment at all.
Discussion:
Considerable variation in selection of outcomes and how and when they are measured and reported was evident, and this heterogeneity has implications for evidence synthesis and clinical decision-making.
Conclusions:
Whilst there is a lack of consistency, several potentially important outcomes for VPT, including pulp survival, incidence of post-operative pain and need for further intervention, have been identified which could inform the development of a COS for endodontic treatment.
Registration:
Core Outcome Measures in Effectiveness Trials (COMET) (No. 1879).
More Related Videos
07:07Development of a Direct Pulp-capping Model for the Evaluation of Pulpal Wound Healing and Reparative Dentin Formation in Mice
Published on: January 12, 2017
02:33Isolation, Culture, and Characterization of Dental Pulp Stem Cells from Human Deciduous and Permanent Teeth
Published on: May 17, 2024
Related Concept Videos
01:11Guidelines for Writing Outcome
Patient outcomes reflect the patient's response to the goal rather than what the nurse aims to achieve. Terminology should be observable and measurable to avoid the reader's interpretation. The desired outcome should be realistic and achievable in the designated care timeframe. Expected outcomes should align with adjunctive therapies. The outcome should enhance care...
01:19Standards of Care II
01:15Nursing Evaluation
01:22Standards of Care I
01:11Clinical Trials: Overview
01:29Pulmonary Embolism II: Diagnostic Studies and Interprofessional Care