Capping of monkey pulps with Dycal and a Ca-eugenol cement

Area of Science:

• Dental materials science
• Histopathology
• Regenerative dentistry

Background:

• Dental pulp capping aims to preserve pulp vitality and promote healing after exposure.
• Dycal and calcium-eugenol cement are commonly used direct pulp capping agents.
• Understanding long-term histological responses is crucial for material selection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the histological pulp tissue reactions to Dycal and calcium-eugenol cement.
• To evaluate hard tissue formation following direct pulp capping with these materials over 8 and 90 days.

Main Methods:

• Direct pulp capping was performed on 120 monkey teeth using either Dycal or calcium-eugenol cement.
• Teeth were examined histologically after 8 and 90 days.
• Pulp tissue reactions, inflammation, material integration, and hard tissue deposition were assessed.

Main Results:

• At 8 days, both capping agents elicited similar pulp tissue reactions, including necrosis, inflammation, and material displacement.
• Particles from both capping materials were observed within pulp vessels and cells.
• After 90 days, Dycal resulted in significantly more hard tissue formation than calcium-eugenol cement.

Conclusions:

• Dycal promotes greater hard tissue regeneration compared to calcium-eugenol cement in direct pulp capping.
• Both materials induce initial inflammatory responses and foreign body reactions.
• Histological evaluation supports Dycal's potential for enhanced pulp repair.