Is pulpotomy an effective therapeutic option for the management of acute irreversible pulpitis in mature permanent teeth?

Abstract

Clinical question Is cervical pulpotomy a viable treatment alternative to conventional root canal treatment for management of acute irreversible pulpitis in mature permanent teeth?

Data sources A comprehensive literature search was performed on PubMed and Cochrane Library covering the years 2000-2021 for randomised clinical trials addressing the defined clinical question. The title and abstract were reviewed by two authors independently and any conflict was resolved by discussion with the third author.

Study selection Only randomised controlled trials studies that compared cervical pulpotomy against non-surgical root canal treatment were included in this systematic review. Studies dealing with primary teeth or immature permanent teeth were excluded.

Data extraction and synthesis Studies that reported clinical and radiographic success rate with a minimum follow-up of six months were included. The authors tabulated the data from primary sources without any synthesis.

Results Only four studies fulfilled the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The results indicate that the clinical success rate of pulpotomy was comparable to root canal treatment while the radiographic success rate was higher in pulpotomy.

Conclusions Pulpotomy is not inferior to the conventional root canal treatment for the management of acute irreversible pulpitis in mature permanent teeth in adults.