Partial pulpotomy in young permanent teeth with deep carious lesions

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Endodontics
• Pediatric Dentistry

Background:

• Deep carious lesions and pulp exposure in young permanent teeth pose treatment challenges.
• Partial pulpotomy is a conservative approach to preserve pulp vitality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of partial pulpotomy in young permanent molars with carious exposure.
• To assess the efficacy of calcium hydroxide as a dressing material in this procedure.

Main Methods:

• Thirty-seven young permanent molars with deep carious lesions and exposed pulps were treated with partial pulpotomy and calcium hydroxide dressing.
• Teeth were divided into two groups based on pre-treatment clinical and radiographic symptoms.
• Follow-up ranged from 24 to 140 months (mean 56 months).

Main Results:

• A high healing rate of 93.5% (29/31) was observed in teeth with no pre-treatment symptoms (Group 1).
• A success rate of 66.7% (4/6) was achieved in teeth with pre-treatment symptoms like pain or periapical changes (Group 2).

Conclusions:

• Partial pulpotomy with calcium hydroxide demonstrates a high success rate for treating young permanent molars with carious exposure.
• While promising, further research is necessary to establish partial pulpotomy as a routine clinical procedure.