title: Assessment of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate pulpotomy in mature permanent teeth with carious exposures.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the outcome of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) complete pulpotomy in permanent teeth with carious exposures.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-two permanent molar teeth with fully developed roots and vital pulps in 43 patients aged 11-51 years were included. Preoperative pulpal and periapical diagnosis was established. After informed consent, each tooth was anaesthetized, isolated with dental dam and disinfected with 5% NaOCl before caries excavation; subsequently, a full pulpotomy was performed. Haemostasis was achieved, and Grey MTA (Angelus, Londrina, Brazil) was placed as the pulpotomy agent; a moist cotton pellet was placed, and the tooth was temporized with the intermediate restorative material (IRM). Permanent restorations were placed 1 week later if the tooth was asymptomatic, and a postoperative periapical radiograph was taken. Clinical and radiographic evaluation was completed at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year and 3 years postoperatively.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of irreversible pulpitis were established in 44/52 teeth, and periapical rarefaction was present in 14 teeth. Immediate failure occurred in one tooth. The recall rate ranged from 92% at 3 months to 80.3% at 3 years, with an overall 100% clinical and 97.5% radiographic success during the first year, and 92.7% success at 3 years. All cases with periapical rarefaction were associated with improvement in the periapical index (PAI) score. Two cases had new periapical rarefaction associated with dislodgment of the permanent restoration. A hard tissue barrier was detected radiographically in 5 cases and canal narrowing in 7 cases.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MTA full pulpotomy was a successful treatment option for cariously exposed pulps in mature permanent molar teeth.
authors.affiliation: Department of Conservative Dentistry, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
authors.forename: N A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Taha
authors.affiliation: Department of Conservative Dentistry, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.
authors.forename: M B
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Ahmad
authors.affiliation: Melbourne Dental School, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Vic., Australia.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Ghanim
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017607:Aluminum Compounds; D017610:Calcium Compounds; D002648:Child; D003731:Dental Caries / Q000601:surgery*; D004338:Drug Combinations; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010087:Oxides; D011672:Pulpotomy / Q000379:methods*; D017640:Silicates
chemical_list: D017607:Aluminum Compounds; D017610:Calcium Compounds; D004338:Drug Combinations; D010087:Oxides; D017640:Silicates; C086631:mineral trioxide aggregate
keywords: deep caries; full pulpotomy; mineral trioxide aggregate; pulpitis