ormocresol was used most frequently, followed by the one-in-five dilution. Scandinavia was the only geographic region which preferred calcium hydroxide to formocresol (3:433).
Treatments for pulp therapy and fall into two categories: vital pulpotomy, which uses treatments chosen to preserve pulp viability or promote repair (e.g. calcium hydroxide, ferric sulfate, glutaraldehyde), and mortal pulpotomy, which uses medicaments which deliberately necrotize tissue (e.g. formocresol, electrocautery) (62). Vital pulpotomy does not suppress inflammatory pulp conditions and often incites internal resorption. Regeneration and the stimulation of a dentin bridge are associated with calcium hydroxide treatment. Mortal pulpotomy is clinically more effective, but displays excess toxicity, diffusability, immunogenicity, and possible mutagenicity. This has led to the search for alternatives to formocresol.
A retrospective study of 184 cases of vital or nonvital pulpotomies performed on primary molar teeth demonstrated an estimated success of 80 percent of therapies after two-and-one-half years (95). Age, time, and the absence of a permanent restoration were demonstrably associated with outcome in this study.Pulpal therapy effectively maintained the primary tooth in the arch, but caused an increased rate of root resorption.
Most of the drugs commonly used for gingival retraction are effective in shrinking the gingival tissue (94). Woycheshin tested various agents in dogs by isolating teeth and cutting a groove with a knife-edge diamond revolving instrument on the buccal surface of each tooth at the level of the free gingiva, following the contour accurately from the mesial to the distal surface. Each tooth was isolated and the gingival tissue retracted using either a plain cord or a cord impregnated with a solution of the drug placed in the gingival crevice. Results showed that zinc chloride is caustic, and prolonged application ...