Histological evaluation of the synergistic effect of chitosan and mineral trioxide aggregate on mechanically exposed dental pulp following pulp capping in dogs' teeth

Abstract

Introduction: This work studied the synergistic effect of chitosan and mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) on mechanically exposed dental pulp following pulp capping in dogs' teeth. Materials and Methods: Class V cavities were prepared in 60 teeth of 3 mongrel dogs. These cavities were prepared approximately 1 mm coronal to the gingival margin by using a round carbide bur #2 with water cooling. These teeth were divided according to the pulp capping material into 2 groups (30 teeth each); Group I: MTA and Group II: a combination of MTA and chitosan compound. The cavities were restored by self-curing glass ionomer cement, followed by varnish application to provide the suitable conditions for pulpal repair. Both groups were further subdivided according to the evaluation period into 3 subgroups (10 teeth each); subgroup A: 7 days, subgroup B: 21 days, and subgroup C: 60 days. Histological evaluation of dentin bridge formation was performed after pulp capping in all subgroups. Data were statistically analyzed by ANOVA, Tukey's post hoc, Kruskal–Wallis, and Mann–Whitney U-tests. The significance level was set at P ≤ 0.05. Results: No statistically significant difference was found between both groups at all evaluation times (P > 0.05). The combination of MTA and chitosan did not improve the quality of dentin bridge produced by the MTA alone. Conclusion: Mixing of chitosan and MTA as a direct pulp capping material has no synergistic odontogenic effect in dog's teeth.