Bioactive Tricalcium Silicate-based Dentin Substitute as an Indirect Pulp Capping Material for Primary Teeth: A 12-month Follow-up.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic outcomes of a bioactive tricalcium silicate [Ca3SiO5]-based dentin substitute and a light-activated calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2]-based liner as indirect pulp treatment (IPT) interventions for vital primary molars with carious lesions approaching the pulp.

METHODS: Eighty children, aged four to eight years old, with 160 bilateral primary teeth without signs or symptoms of irreversibly inflamed or degenerative pulp tissue were treated in a split-mouth design trial comparing IPT using Ca3SiO5 or Ca(OH)2. The teeth were treated and restored with a preformed crown in a single session and assessed clinically and radiographically for one, three, six, and 12 months.

RESULTS: Sixty patients with 120 treated molars completed the 12-month evaluations. The combined clinical and radiographic success rates were 98.3 percent (59 out of 60) for Ca3SiO5 and 95 percent for Ca(OH)2 (57 out of 60). No significant differences were found for success rates between the two study groups (P>0.05). The combined success rates for both groups was 96.7 percent.

CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the indirect pulp treatment procedure with either a bioactive Ca3SiO5-based dentin substitute or a Ca(OH)2-based material may be considered a suitable treatment to achieve acceptable therapeutic results when applied on deeply carious primary teeth without degenerative symptoms.