Success of mineral trioxide aggregate in pulpotomized primary molars

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to compare, clinically and radiographically, the mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) to formocresol (FC) when used as medicaments in pulpotomized vital human primary molars.

Methods: The sample consisted of 120 primary molars, all teeth were treated with the same conventional pulpotomy technique. Sixty molars received FC and 60 received MTA throughout a random selection technique.

Results: At the end of 24-month evaluation period, 74 molars (36 FC, 38 MTA) were available for clinical and radiographic evaluation. None of the MTA treated teeth showed any clinical or radiographic pathology, while the FC group showed a success rate of 86.8% radiographically and 98.6% clinically. The difference between the two groups in the radiographic outcomes was statistically significant. It was concluded that MTA treated molars demonstrated significantly greater success. MTA seems to be a suitable replacement for formocresol in pulpotomized primary teeth.