• Treesa Sastararuji D.D.S.
• Chutima Trairatvorakul B.Sc. (Honour), D.D.S. (Honour), Certificate in Pedodontics, M.Sc., Thai Board of Pediatric Dentistry

Objective To compare clinical and radiographic success of calcium hydroxide indirect pulp treatment versus
three mix antibiotics vital pulp therapy in lower primary molars over a 6-month period.

Materials and methods Sixty eight deep carious lower primary molars without preoperative signs
and symptoms of irreversible pulpitis in children, aged 3 to 8 years old, were studied. The teeth were
randomly divided into two groups, indirect pulp treatment with calcium hydroxide was used as a
control group (34 teeth) and three mix antibiotics as an experimental group (34 teeth). Both groups
were restored with stainless steel crowns at the same visit with the pulp treatment and evaluated
clinically and radiographically at 6 months. Chi-square test with 95% confidence level was used to
analyze the differences between the percent success in both groups.

Results The clinical success at 6 months of both treatments were 100%. But the radiographic success
of calcium hydroxide indirect pulp treatment was 82.35% while three mix antibiotics vital pulp therapy
yielded 76.47% success. Interradicular lesions were the most frequent findings of treatment failure,
as shown in 14.70% of calcium hydroxide and 17.65% of three mix antibiotics treated teeth.

Conclusion At 6 months, there was no statistically significant difference in clinical and radiographic
successes between calcium hydroxide indirect pulp treatment and three mix antibiotic vital pup therapy
(p = 0.76).

(CU Dent J. 2009;32:157-66)