Methods: From July 2003 to May 2006, vital pulps opened during excavation were cleaned using 1% NaOCl. If there was no bleeding from the pulp or the bleeding could be stopped, and the tooth showed no history of spontaneous pain, the pulp exposure was capped using white MTA. Teeth were defintively restored with composite resin. All procedures were performed under rubber dam. Patients were included irrespective of their age. 31 patients with 32 treated teeth were included. They were re-examined during their individual regular recall visits (symptoms, CO2-sensitivity, percussion).
Results: The average age of the re-examined patients was 46.3 (14-71) years. After a mean follow-up period of 2.4 years (12-45 months), 26 teeth (94.4%) showed normal sensitivity to cold and were symptomless. One tooth (3.6%) became painful after 28 months and had to be endotontically treated. There was a drop out of one case (3.1%) because the tooth was extracted for prosthetic reasons. Four patients (12.5%) refused to any follow-up.
Conclusion: MTA appears to be a suitable material for direct pulp capping under practice conditions. Prospective studies with longer observation periods and conntrolled trials are warranted.