Current Trends in Primary Tooth Pulpotomy in Karachi

Objectives: ● To assess practice regarding pulpotomy of primary teeth among dentists of Karachi, Pakistan.
● To compare the difference in pulpotomy techniques of primary teeth between private practitioners and teaching dentists
Methods: A questionnaire was distributed to dentists working in private clinics and teaching hospitals of Karachi, who were involved in treating primary teeth of children. The questions gained information on aspects like: use of radiographs for pretreatment evaluation, use of anesthesia and rubber dam, choice of material for pulpotomy procedures, restorative material of choice after pulpotomy in pediatric patients etc. Descriptive statistics & frequency distribution were computed. Chi-square test was applied to compare difference between dentists working in teaching hospitals verses those working in private practices. Level of significance was kept at 0.05.
Results: ● Majority of dentists in the study group routinely used preoperative radiograph for assessment of carious teeth before pulpotomy procedure.
● Formocresol- preferred material for pulpotomy by dentists in both groups.
● A very high percentage of practitioners in both groups never used a rubber dam.
● A very small number of dentists used stainless steel crown for definitive restoration of primary molar after pulpotomy of the tooth.
● There is a statistically significant difference between dentists in their use of local anesthesia before a pulpotomy procedure and in their choice of restoration of anterior teeth post pulpotomy.
Conclusions: ● Majority of dentists use the preferred medicament for pulpotomy i.e. formocresol,
● Only 23-26% dentists placed stainless steel crown after pulpotomy- far below standard of care.
● A large proportion of teaching dentists used local anesthesia (53.8%) for pulpotomy compared to private practitioners (33.3%).