Peer-reviewed article
Pulpotomy of deciduous molars with deep caries using three different hydraulic calcium silicate cements: a short-term pilot randomized controlled split-mouth study.
Urmann U, Schenke IM, Hiller KA, Buchalla W, Bekes K et al. ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This is a dental clinical trial comparing three materials used to cap the pulp of primary molars after pulpotomy in children aged 2-6 years with deep caries. The study found no differences in clinical survival between the three materials at 5 and 10 months, but noted differences in application time and cost. While the treatment improved children's oral health-related quality of life, the research is focused on technical dental outcomes rather than broader child well-being.
Key points
- All 84 treated teeth remained clinically successful for 10 months across all three materials tested
- TotalFill BC RRM Putty had significantly shorter application time (75.5 seconds) than Biodentine (259 seconds) or ProRoot MTA (200.5 seconds)
- Biodentine was the lowest cost material (€42.45) compared to ProRoot MTA (€74.37)
- Oral health-related quality of life improved after treatment, with ECOHIS-G scores declining from 5 to 2.5 over 10 months
- No significant clinical differences between the three materials in short-term outcomes
Limitations
This is a short-term pilot study (10 months) that examines technical dental outcomes rather than broader child health or development outcomes. The research cannot address long-term success rates or comparative effectiveness beyond the short observation period.
Abstract
Objectives This randomized, controlled split-mouth study evaluated the short-term clinical survival of three hydraulic calcium silicate cements for pulp capping after pulpotomy in primary molars under general anesthesia. Materials and methods Thirty-three children aged 2 to 6 years, each with three carious primary molars (ICDAS 4-6), were recruited for treatment under general anesthesia. Following pulpotomy, the pulp was randomly covered with one of the materials: ProRoot MTA (Dentsply Sirona), Biodentine (Septodont), or TotalFill BC RRM Putty (FKG). The teeth were restored with steel crowns. Clinical survival rate at 5 and 10 months, application time, treatment costs and oral health-related quality of life (OHRQoL) were evaluated using the ECOHIS-G questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using non-parametric methods (α = 0.05). Results All 84 treated teeth remained in situ for up to 10 months without clinical symptoms. TotalFill BC RRM Putty had the significantly shortest application time (median 75.5 s; p ≤ 0.001) compared to Biodentine (259 s) and ProRoot MTA (200.5 s). Biodentine resulted in the significantly lowest treatment cost (median €42.45; p ≤ 0.001), ProRoot MTA in the highest (€74.37; TotalFill BC RRM Putty: €60.01). The treatments generally led to improved OHRQoL (Median ECOHIS-G score: initial 5, after 5 months 4, after 10 months 2.5). Conclusions All investigated hydraulic calcium silicate cements showed no differences in short-term clinical outcomes after pulpotomy in primary molars. Clinical relevance Material selection may therefore be guided by practical factors such as handling time and treatment costs, while long-term outcomes, which require further investigations, should be considered. German Clinical Trials Registry: Ref. DRKS00030041.