Pulpotomy of symptomatic permanent teeth with carious exposure using mineral trioxide aggregate.

Abstract

To evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of pulpotomy treatment with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) in symptomatic mature permanent teeth with carious exposure. Ten patients aged 27-54 years presented with 11 symptomatic permanent teeth (n=11). Each offending carious tooth was clinically and radiographically determined. We removed caries as conservatively as possible; however pulp exposure was inevitable. ProRoot MTA pulpotomy was performed on these teeth. The patients were followed-up clinically and radiographically for 24-42 months. Immediate relief of patients` symptoms occurred. Moreover, teeth responses to the electric pulp tester were within normal range on follow-up appointment and the radiographs did not reveal any abnormality/lesion in the periapical areas. Pulpotomy using MTA could be a good alternative for root canal therapy (RCT) for managing symptomatic mature permanent teeth with carious exposure, however further large-scale multicenter clinical trials are highly encouraged to confirm this hypothesis.