Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to determine the efficacy of St. John's wort oil in reducing inflammation by combating pathogens in the pulp tissue, stimulating healing in the remaining pulp tissue, and restoring functionality to the tooth without the manifestation of symptoms, facilitated by its analgesic effect. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A partial pulpotomy treatment was performed on the upper first molar teeth of 21 two-month-old male Wistar albino rats. The rats were divided into two groups according to the material used in the treatment. In the context of pulpotomy treatment, St. John's wort oil (SWO) was utilized in the experimental group, while Mineral Trioxide Aggregate (MTA) was employed in the control group. The rats were euthanized at 1 day, 15 days, and 30 days following treatment. Histopathological evaluation of the samples was conducted using the hematoxylin-eosin staining method. RESULTS: In the present study statistical analyses revealed that while the inflammation value in the pulp was higher in the SWO group than in the MTA group on day 1, it was similar in both groups on days 15 and 30 (p < 0.05). The present study demonstrated that vascularization increased over time in the SWO group. With regard to hemorrhage, an increase was observed on day 15 in the MTA group and on day 1 in the SWO group; however, this increase subsequently decreased over time. CONCLUSION: In the present study, the utilization of SWO and MTA in the context of partial pulpotomy exhibited analogous outcomes. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: SWO was used as an alternative agent to MTA, which we use as the gold standard in partial pulpotomy treatment.