A Retrospective Study of Pulp Treatment in Primary Teeth with Ferric Sulfate and Formocresol in a Private Pediatric Office and the Students' Clinic

Objectives: Objectives of this retrospective study were to compare the success rate of ferric sulfate and formocresol pulpotomy in a private pediatric office and the student's Simulated Practice Environment Clinic (SPEC) over a four-year period. Method: Clinical and radiographical data were collected from a retrospective chart review in a pediatric office and the SPEC clinic. Inclusion criteria: patients who remained in the clinic at least 3 years after pulp therapy; patients that had regularly attended his/her recall examination at 6 or 12 month intervals with xray. 200 records (270 pulpotomies) were reviewed in the private practice and 62 records (84 pulpotomies) in the SPEC clinic. Results: Only 6 out of 354 teeth (2 in private practice and 4 in the SPEC clinic) were extracted due to abscess formation. The most frequently observed pulpal responses were internal resorption in private practice and interradicular bone destruction and calcific metamorphosis in the SPEC clinic. Our results revealed 98.8% and 94.4% clinical success rate for ferric sulfate in private practice and SPEC clinic respectively. The clinical success rate for formocresol pulpotomies was 99.5% in private practice and 95.4% in the SPEC clinic. The overall radiographic success rates were significantly higher (p<0.05) for both ferric sulfate and formocresol in private practice. The overall clinical and radiographic success rates in this study are comparable with those reported previously in the literature. Conclusion: This work revealed that ferric sulfate had a similar success rate in pulpotomies as did formocresol.