Pulpotomy in Vital Primary Molars Diagnosed With Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis

Treatment Outcomes of Pulpotomy in Vital Primary Molars Diagnosed With Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis: An International Multi-centre Study

This is a clinical trial to assess the treatment outcomes of pulpotomy in vital primary molars diagnosed with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. Pulpotomy is a more conservative treatment option over the conventional pulpectomy treatment. Compared to pulpectomy, pulpotomy is a technically simpler procedure, less time consuming, easier for young patients to tolerate, and retains the proprioceptive sensation of the tooth - all important advantages when treating young children.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Irreversible Pulpitis
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Full Pulpotomy

Detailed Description

Background: Pulpectomy continues to be the standard treatment recommendation for management of vital primary molars diagnosed with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis. The recent decade has seen a paradigm shift in the treatment concepts of how vital mature permanent molars diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis can be more conservatively managed using vital pulp therapy techniques like pulpotomy. However, despite emerging evidence indicating similarities between primary and permanent tooth pulp response to dental caries, there is limited research on whether pulpotomy can be similarly used as a definitive treatment modality for vital primary teeth diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis.

Aim: This study primarily aims to assess the clinical and radiographic treatment outcomes of full pulpotomy in vital primary molars diagnosed with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis.

Methods/Design: Healthy cooperative children, between 4-9 years of age, who have painful primary molars with symptoms typical of irreversible pulpitis will be recruited for the study from paediatric dental clinics located in eight countries (Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, U.A.E, Jordan, Egypt, U.S.A, and Thailand). The primary outcome that will be assessed are the clinical success rates after one-year and two-years of the pulpotomy intervention. The secondary outcomes that will be assessed include: (i) immediate post-operative pain relief after 24 h and 7-days of the pulpotomy intervention; and (ii) radiographic success rates after one-year and two-years of the pulpotomy intervention. The influence of baseline pre-operative variables (age; gender; tooth type; site of caries; pre-operative furcal radiolucency; pre-operative pain intensity) and intra-operative factors (time taken to achieve haemostasis) on treatment outcomes will also be evaluated.

Discussion: This clinical trial seeks to provide evidence on whether pulpotomy can be used for the management of vital primary molars diagnosed with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 120
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Qatar
  • Doha, Qatar
    • Phcc - Airport Center
  • Doha, Qatar
    • PHCC- Leebaib Center

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Healthy (ASA I and II) co-operative children (Frankl Scale + and ++) between the ages of four and nine years.
2. Participants have symptoms typical of irreversible pulpitis in one of the primary molars.
3. The pulp of the affected primary molar is vital.
4. Radicular pulp health is confirmed by attainment of radicular pulp haemostasis within 6 minutes of coronal pulp amputation.
5. The affected primary molars can be restored with full coverage crowns.
6. Any physiologic root resorption, if present, is less than ⅓ the root length

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Clinical examination of affected primary molar reveals signs of pulpal infection (e.g.

   pathologic tooth mobility, parulis/fistula, or soft tissue swelling)

2. Pre-operative periapical radiograph suggests presence of periapical radiolucency.
3. Pre-operative periapical radiograph suggests presence of furcal radiolucency more than ½ the furcation to periapical area.

4. Visual examination of pulp tissue after deroofing reveals signs of necrosis (e.g.

   avascular/minimally bleeding pulp tissue or yellowish necrotic areas/purulent exudate).

5. Signs of extensive radicular pulp inflammation.
6. Parents not willing to place full coverage crowns post-pulpotomy.
7. Clinical diagnosis of irreversible pulpitis between two teeth is not sharply defined.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: N/A
• Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
• Masking: None (Open Label)

Number of Arms

1

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Pulpotomy; Participants diagnosed with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis in vital primary molars will receive the pulpotomy treatment intervention	Procedure: Full Pulpotomy; Pulpotomy is a more conservative pulp treatment option where only the coronal pulp is removed and a medicament placement over the remnant radicular pulp after haemostasis is achieved.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Post-treatment clinical success	Clinical success will be determined at 6-, 12-, and 24-months based on the pulpotomy treated tooth meeting all the below criteria: Treated tooth is not associated with any pain or discomfort; Treated tooth is not associated with tenderness on percussion or palpation; Treated tooth is not associated with any swelling, parulis, or fistula; Treated tooth is not associated with any pathological mobility	6 months, 12 months, 24 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Immediate post-treatment pain relief	Pain scores that will be recorded at 24-hours and 7-days post-treatment using a child friendly Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). This pain score will be used to evaluate pain reduction afforded by the pulpotomy treatment intervention.	24 hours; 7 days
Post-treatment radiographic success	Radiographic success will be determined at 6-, 12-, and 24-months based on the pulpotomy treated tooth meeting all the below criteria: No signs of pathological internal/external root resorption or new furcal/periapical lesions on recall periapical radiographs; Complete radiographic healing or reduction/no change in size of any pre-treatment furcal rarefaction on recall periapical radiographs	6 months, 12 months, 24 months

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Qatar University
• Collaborators: Cairo University; Jordan University of Science and Technology; Primary Health Care Corporation, Qatar; King Abdulaziz Hospital, Saudi Arabia; Dubai Dental Hospital; Hamdan Bin Mohammed College of Dental Medicine
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Nebu Philip, PhD, Qatar University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): March 21, 2024
• Primary Completion (Estimated): July 30, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): July 31, 2027

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: November 18, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: November 25, 2023
• First Posted (Actual): November 29, 2023

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 31, 2025
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 28, 2025
• Last Verified: July 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Pulpotomy
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Stomatognathic Diseases; Dental Pulp Diseases; Tooth Diseases; Pulpitis
• Other Study ID Numbers: QU2713

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: NO

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No
• product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.: No