Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the therapeutic effects of pulpotomy and pulpectomy on deciduous molars with deep caries. METHODS: A total of 124 children (192 molars) with deep caries treated from February 2014 to February 2015 were selected. They each had at least one molar with deep caries. MTA pulpotomy (101 molars) and Vitapex pulpectomy (91 molars) as well as prefabricated metal crown repair were conducted. The patients were followed up for 18 months after surgery, and the therapeutic effects were evaluated through clinical and X-ray examinations. RESULTS: The proportion of molars without lesions was 80.20% in pulpotomy group, which significantly exceeded that of pulpectomy group (72.53%). The pulpotomy group with good clinical manifestations underwent spontaneous pain in four molars during follow-up, and five molars gradually underwent pain and gingival redness and swelling. The pulpectomy group suffered from occlusion discomfort in nine molars and gingival fistula in seven molars during follow-up. The postoperative morbidity of pulpectomy group was significantly higher than that of pulpotomy group (χ(2)=4.50, P=0.04). The 18-month tooth survival rates of pulpotomy and pulpectomy groups were 90% and 79% respectively, which were significantly different (χ(2)=4.645, P=0.031). CONCLUSION: The postoperative outcomes of pulpotomy are superior to those of pulpectomy.