A total of 124 children (192 molars) with deep caries treated from February 2014 to February 2015 were selected. They each had at least one molar with deep caries.
MTA pulpotomy (101 molars) and
Vitapex pulpectomy (91 molars) as well as prefabricated
metal crown repair were conducted. The patients were followed up for 18 months after surgery, and the
therapeutic effects were evaluated through clinical and X-ray examinations.
RESULTS: The proportion of molars without lesions was 80.20% in
pulpotomy group, which significantly exceeded that of
pulpectomy group (72.53%). The
pulpotomy group with good clinical manifestations underwent spontaneous
pain in four molars during follow-up, and five molars gradually underwent
pain and gingival redness and swelling. The
pulpectomy group suffered from occlusion discomfort in nine molars and
gingival fistula in seven molars during follow-up. The postoperative morbidity of
pulpectomy group was significantly higher than that of
pulpotomy group (χ2=4.50, P=0.04). The 18-month tooth survival rates of
pulpotomy and
pulpectomy groups were 90% and 79% respectively, which were significantly different (χ2=4.645, P=0.031).
CONCLUSION: