“Clinical and Radiographic Evaluation of Turmeric, Thymus Vulgaris, Nigella Sativa and Aloe Vera as Pulpotomy Medicaments in Primary Teeth” A Randomized Controlled Study

Abstract

Pulp therapy in primary molars is a fundamental procedure in pediatric dentistry as it has the advantage of preserving an asymptomatic and functional primary tooth in the dental arch instead of extraction.

Although, formocresol pulpotomy is the gold standard treatment for vital primary teeth with reversible pulpitis. However, due to the concerns of toxicity and carcinogenicity of formocresol that was suggested by the IARC in 2004, dentists started to search for a safer, less toxic pulp medicament with better success rate. Therefore, formocresol became a controversial pulp dressing material.

Recently, herbal medicine has witnessed a great interest in the medical and dental fields for its known safety, biocompatibility, low cost, and effective results. Moreover, studies investigated herbal extracts in various dental procedures reported a great success owing to their proposed antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Hence, natural materials can be considered a great alternative to the formocresol in pulpotomies in primary teeth.

The aim of the presented RCT was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic success of Turmeric, Thymus vulgaris, Nigella sativa and Aloe vera as pulp medicaments in vital primary molars in comparison to the conventional formocresol pulpotomy. The study was carried out both in-vitro and in-vivo.