A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the Success of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate and Ferric Sulfate as Pulpotomy Medicaments for Primary Molars.

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate and compare the clinical and radiographic performance of a new type of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA, NuSmile^® NeoMTA^®) and ferric sulfate (FS) as pulpotomy medicaments for primary molars over 12 months.
Methods: Fifty participants (25 per group) were enrolled, according to specific inclusion criteria. Each participant received a single primary molar pulpotomy either with MTA or FS, depending on random digit table method allocation. Fifteen pediatric dental residents completed all pulpotomies, supervised by specialist faculty. Two calibrated examiners performed outcome assessments according to standardized criteria. Every six months, the study teeth were evaluated clinically and every 12 months radiographically. The inter- and intraexaminer reliability was assessed using Cohen's kappa, and the chi-square test was used for statistical analysis.
Results: At six months, 42 participants (21 in each group) returned for evaluation. The FS group showed 95.2 percent clinical success compared to 100 percent for the MTA group. At the 12-month clinical and radiographic evaluation, the return sample consisted of 29 participants (14 in the MTA group, 15 in the FS group). FS had 86.6 percent clinical success and 60 percent radiographic success, while MTA showed 100 percent clinical and radiographic success. At 12 months, MTA showed a statistically significantly higher success rate compared to FS (P = 0.008). Examiner reliability was excellent with a kappa score greater than 0.88.
Conclusion: At 12 months, MTA showed superior success as a pulpotomy medicament in primary molars compared to FS.