title: Comparative evaluation of different forms of calcium hydroxide in apexification.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  One out of every two children sustains a dental injury most often between 8 and 10 years of age. Majority of these teeth subsequently become non-vital and most often with immature apex. Management of these teeth is an enormous challenge for lack of apical stop. Calcium hydroxide in various formulations has maximum literature support in favor of successful apexification or induced apical closure.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the following study is to determine the efficacy of calcium hydroxide in a different formulation to induce apexification.
  
  
  METHODS
  The present study was undertaken on 51 children of 8-10 years of age (both sexes) at Dr. R Ahmed Dental College and Hospital from April 2006 to March 2007. All children had one or two maxillary permanent central incisor (s), non-vital and apices open. In all the cases, apexification was attempted with either calcium hydroxide mixed with sterile distilled water, or calcium hydroxide plus iodoform in methyl cellulose base, or calcium hydroxide plus iodoform in polysilicone oil base. The success of apexification was determined on the basis of clinical and radiographic criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the pre-operative asymptomatic cases (72.55%), failure occurred in only 5.45% cases and pre-operative symptomatic cases failure rate was as high as 35.71%. Success rate was 94.6% in cases with narrow open apices, whereas 64.28% in wide open apices. In cases with pre-existing apical radiolucencies, successful apexification occurred in 63.63% and success rate was 92.5% in the cases without pre-existing apical radiolucencies. Average time consumed for apexification was minimum with calcium hydroxide plus iodoform in polysilicone oil base.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The overall success rate observed to be 86.27%, which is in close proximity to the findings of most of the previous studies across the globe.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pedodontics, North Bengal Dental College and Hospital, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Subhankar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ghosh
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Kolkata Medical College and Hospital, Kolkata, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Dibyendu
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mazumdar
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, North Bengal Medical College and Hospital, Darjeeling, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Pradip Kumar
authors.initials: PK
authors.lastname: Ray
authors.affiliation: Department of Dentistry, Mednipur Medical College and Hospital, West Bengal, India.
authors.forename: Bhaswar
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Bhattacharya
keywords: Apexification; calcium hydroxide; maxillary permanent incisor