Evaluation of Success Rate of a Two Visit Pulpotomy with Formocresol in Vital Primary Molar Teeth After 2-4 Years After the Treatment Time (1999- 2001) in Shiraz

Pulpotomy is among the most common methods for the treatment of the primary tooth pulps and the drug of choice in that method is formocresol. Our main objective of doing pulpotomy with formocresol is to maintain the tooth in an asymptomatic condition until normal resorption till exfoliation occurs. The purpose of this study was to examine the success rate of a two-visit pulpotomy with formocresol in vital primary molar teeth, after at least two years. The population under study consisted of 36 children, 5-10 years-old, referring to the special clinic of Shiraz School of Dentistry, all of whom were treated by the project executor.

72 pulpotomized teeth in the mouths of 36 children in the 5-10 years age group (40 boys and 32 girls) who were treated from April 1992 up to June 2001 were examined and they were evaluated clinically and radiographically from March up to June 2003.

Among 72 teeth under the study, some were excluded from the study during the process due to various reasons, so that in the clinical study, 70 teeth and in the radiographic study, 55 teeth were studied. As a whole, considering the mean time period of 30 months after treatment, the clinical success rate of 94.3% and the radiographic success rate of 85.5% were obtained (Table and Graph no.1,2).

As in different studies in which the success rate of pulpotomy treatment with formocresol is reported to be between 70 to 90%, the success rate in the current study was in the same range, though we have not been strict in choosing the teeth for treatment, an issue which probably has had a significant role in reducing the success rate of treatment. In numerous other studies, the highest rate of failure is related to internal root resorption, which includes about 85.5% of the total unsuccessful treatment in this study and 12.5% of failure rate belonging to external pathologic root resorption.