Comparative evaluation of the success of Er,Cr:YSGG laser, ferric sulfate, or a herbal hemostatic agent for hemostasis in primary molar pulpotomy

The objective of this study was to evaluate the clinical and radiographic success of the use of the Er,Cr:YSGG laser, ferric sulfate, or a herbal hemostatic agent for hemostasis in primary molar pulpotomy. Sixty-five children aged 5–9 years with a total of 81 primary mandibular second molars indicated for pulpotomy were included in the study. The teeth were randomly divided into the following three groups according to the pulpotomy agents used: ferric sulfate, herbal hemostatic agent, or Er,Cr:YSGG laser. Following pulpotomy treatments, the patients were followed up for 12 months. Pearson Chi-square and Fisher's exact tests were used for statistical analysis. At the end of the follow-up period, the clinical success rates for ferric sulfate, the herbal hemostatic agent, and the Er,Cr:YSGG laser were 96, 100, and 100%, respectively, while the radiographic success rates were 76, 73, and 96%, respectively. There was a statistically significant difference between treatments with respect to radiographic success rates, with the Er,Cr:YSGG laser showing a higher success rate compared with the other groups. Based on the results of the present study, it can be concluded that the Er,Cr:YSGG laser can be used as a hemostatic agent in the pulpotomy of primary teeth and is considered a suitable alternative to ferric sulfate and the herbal hemostatic agent.