Pulp Revascularization- It's your Future Whether you Know it or Not?

Abstract

Pulpal regeneration after tooth injury is not easy to accomplish. In teeth with immature apices and exposed vital pulp tissue, partial or complete pulpotomy is indicated to preserve pulpal function and allow continued root development. In many cases, injury causes loss of pulp vitality and arrested root development leading to a tooth with poor crown root ratio, a root with very thin walls, an open blunderbuss apex and development of apical pathosis. The ideal treatment in such cases would be to obtain further root development and thickening of dentinal walls by stimulating the regeneration of a functional pulp dentin complex. This outcome has been observed after reimplantation in avulsed immature permanent teeth but has been thought impossible in a necrotic infected tooth. This case series evaluates the efficacy of revascularization procedure in immature, non vital permanent teeth. Pulp regeneration was attempted in four patients at Department of Conservative Dentistry, ESIC Dental College, New Delhi using blood clotting approach. The cases were treated and followed up regularly at regular intervals ranging from 6 months to 3 years to assess the treatment response clinically and radiographically. The patients remained clinically asymptomatic with three out of four patients even responding positively to pulp responsiveness tests. Radiographic examination also revealed increased root formation and thickening of dentinal walls. It was concluded that the triad of a disinfected canal, a matrix (blood clot) in to which new tissue could grow and an effective coronal seal produced the desirable environment for successful revascularization.