Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 7, 2025
Scanning Electron Microscopic Evaluation of Surface Defects of Remover Retreatment File After Single and Multiple Uses
Published on: October 11, 2024
Brief Communication A Retrospective Evaluation of a Program's Use of Indirect Pulp Therapy for Primary Molars
Patrick Ruck1, Jennifer L Cully2, Sarat Thikkurissy3
1Dr. Ruck is an assistant professor, Department of Pediatrics, in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA.
Purpose:
The purpose of this retrospective study was to assess how procedural code trends reflect the adoption of evidence-based best-clinical-practice guidelines in a hospital-based pediatric dental residency program.
Methods:
Data on frequency of indirect pulp therapy (IPT) and primary pulpotomy (P) utilization were assessed from 2008 to 2020.
Results:
The rate of procedural change between IPT and P significantly differed (P<0.001) over 12 years. The total procedural frequency of IPT overcame P around the years 2014 to 2015.
Conclusions:
From 2008 to 2020, indirect pulp therapy became the vital pulp therapy of choice in a hospital-based pediatric dental residency program. This trend likely reflects guidelines from major publications on the subject matter and changing philosophies on vital pulp therapy at this hospital-based residency program. Using available data (in this case, procedural codes), dental education programs can identify shifts in care and teaching trends on capstone procedures like vital pulpotomy.
