Effect of Graphene Oxide on Vital and Non-Vital Primary Teeth Compared to the Conventional Techniques

Effect of Graphene Oxide on Vital and Non-Vital Primary Teeth Compared to the Conventional Techniques: Randomized Multi-Arm Clinical Trial

The null hypothesis of the current study suggested that there will be no significant difference regarding the effect of Graphene Oxide (GO), Lesion sterilization and tissue repair (LSTR) and Zinc Oxide and Eugenol on the clinical and radiographic success rate of non-vital pulpotomy of primary teeth and that there will be no significant difference regarding the effect of Graphene Oxide (GO), MTA and Zinc Oxide and Eugenol on the clinical and radiographic success rate of vital pulpotomy of primary teeth.

The children (n=126) will be divided randomly into 2 arms; each arm has 3 groups, according to the type of pulp therapy dressing, medicament,t and technique of its application as follows:

First Arm (Vital Teeth) Group 1: will receive Graphene Oxide using the vital pulpotomy technique (study group, n=21) Group 2: will receive MTA using vital pulpotomy technique (study group, n=21) Group 3: will receive Zinc Oxide and Eugenol using the vital pulpotomy technique (control group, n=21) Second Arm (Non-Vital Teeth) Group A: will receive Graphene Oxide using the non-vital pulpotomy technique (study group, n=21).

Group B: will receive LSTR using the non-vital pulpotomy technique (study group, n=21).

Group C: will receive Zinc Oxide and Eugenol using non-vital pulpotomy (Control group, n=21).

Clinical and radiographic success will be assessed as primary outcomes, while pain, patient satisfaction,n and time of procedure will be assessed as secondary outcomes.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: Primary Teeth Indicated for Pulp Therapy
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Graphene Oxide using vital pulpotomy technique; Other: MTA using vital pulpotomy technique; Other: Zinc Oxide and Eugenol using vital pulpotomy technique; Other: Graphene Oxide using non-vital pulpotomy technique; Other: LSTR using non-vital pulpotomy technique; Other: Zinc Oxide and Eugenol using non-vital pulpotomy

Detailed Description

This study will be designed as a multi-arm randomized clinical trial Statement of the Problem Pulpotomy is the most commonly attempted pulp therapy procedure to treat pulp exposures in primary teeth; however, challenging pulp therapy can end up in failure and subsequent premature loss of primary teeth, which may bring about disturbances like ectopic eruption, alteration in eruption sequence, space loss, development of deleterious habits, functional and speech impairment.

Sample Size calculation If there is truly no difference between the standard treatments and Graphene oxide (99% in both groups), then 17 patients are required to be 80% sure that the two-sided 90% confidence interval will exclude a difference between the standard and experimental groups of more than 10%. This number is to be increased to 21 to compensate for losses during follow-up (20% more than the calculated). Sample size was calculated by Sealed Envelope Ltd. 2012. Power calculator for a binary outcome equivalence trial Statistical Methods Data will be analysed using IBM SPSS Advanced Statistics (Statistical Package for Social Sciences), Version 27.0. (Armonk, NY: IBM Corp) Numerical data will be described as mean and standard deviation or median and range. Categorical data will be described as numbers and percentages. Data will be explored for normality using Kolmogrov Smirnov test and Shapiro Wilk test.

Comparisons between two groups for normally distributed numeric variables will be done using the Student's t test, while for non-normally distributed numeric variables will be done by Mann Whitney test. Comparisons between categorical variables will be performed using the chi-square test. An equivalence limit will be tested in comparison between groups. A p-value less than or equal to 0.05 will be considered statistically significant. All tests will be two-tailed. Julious SA. Estimating Sample Sizes in Clinical Trials. CRC; 2009.

Study Setting and Population This study will involve children aged between 5 and 10 years old with primary teeth indicated for pulp therapy at the dental outpatient clinic of the Pediatric Dentistry and Dental Public Health Department of Al Azhar University, Cairo Boys.

Subject grouping:

The involved children (n=126) will be divided randomly into 2 arms; each arm has 3 groups, according to the type of pulp therapy dressing medicament and technique of its application, as follows:

First Arm (Vital Teeth) Group 1: will receive Graphene Oxide usingthe vital pulpotomy technique (study group, n=21) Group 2: will receive MTA using vital pulpotomy technique (study group, n=21) Group 3: will receive Zinc Oxide and Eugenol using the vital pulpotomy technique (control group, n=21) Second Arm (Non-Vital Teeth) Group A: will receive Graphene Oxide using the non-vital pulpotomy technique (study group, n=21).

Group B: will receive LSTR using the non-vital pulpotomy technique (study group, n=21).

Group C: will receive Zinc Oxide and Eugenol using non-vital pulpotomy (Control group, n=21).

Study Hypothesis The null hypothesis of the current study suggested that there will be no significant difference regarding the effect of Graphene Oxide (GO), Lesion sterilization and tissue repair (LSTR) and Zinc Oxide and Eugenol on the clinical and radiographic success rate of non-vital pulpotomy of primary teeth and that there will be no significant difference regarding the effect of Graphene Oxide (GO), MTA and Zinc Oxide and Eugenol on the clinical and radiographic success rate of vital pulpotomy of primary teeth.

PICO P: Children aged between 5 and 10 years old with primary teeth indicated for pulp therapy I: First arm (Vital): MTA, Graphene Oxide, and Zinc Oxide & Eugenol Second arm (Non-Vital): LSTR, Graphene Oxide, and Zinc Oxide & Eugenol C: Zinc Oxide and Eugenol O: Primary Outcome: Clinical and Radiographic Success Secondary Outcome: Presence or absence of pain, Patient satisfaction, and Time of procedure

Ethical Consideration:

This study will be carried out after approval of the Ethical Committee, Faculty of Dental Medicine (Boys, Cairo), Al-Azhar University, and the Ethical Committee of the General Organization for Teaching Hospitals and Institutes.

This clinical trial will be registered at ClinicalTrials.gov All children's parents/ guardians will be informed in a verbal manner about the aim of this research. In addition, a written informed consent will be signed by the parents/ guardians before starting the study Randomization and Allocation Concealment Participant children will also be randomized to the sequence of receiving the interventions using a computer-generated table of random numbers with allocation concealment, to receive either of the 4 management techniques Intervention Regarding the anesthesia, infiltration technique in the upper jaw and inferior alveolar nerve block in the lower arch were used, using one cartridge containing 0.2% lidocaine All pulpotomies will be performed by the same operator (first author) as a one-stage treatment First Arm (Vital Teeth) After administering local anesthesia, the tooth will be isolated with a rubber dam. All caries will be removed, and coronal access will be gained using a sterile No. 330 bur that will be mounted on a water-cooled high-speed turbine to expose the pulp chamber. A spoon excavator will be used for coronal pulp amputation. The pulp chamber will then be irrigated with saline solution to remove all debris. Hemostasis will be obtained with a moistened cotton pellet gently pressed against the amputated pulp stumps in both groups. Hemorrhage should stop within 5 min from the application of the cotton pellet. Pulpotomy material will be applied to cover the pulp chamber. MTA paste (ProRoot MTA, Dentsply, Tulsa, OK, USA) will be prepared as per the manufacturer's instructions to obtain a putty-like consistency. The mixture will be delivered to the pulp stumps and condensed lightly with a moistened sterile cotton pellet to ensure a thickness of 2 to 3 mm. A thick mix of zinc oxide eugenol (ZOE) cement base will be applied over the MTA.

The teeth of all tested groups will be restored after the pulp therapy using high-viscosity glass ionomer cement. After the removal of the rubber dam, SSCs will be cemented with glass ionomer cement. All procedures were done according to the manufacturer's specifications. Whenever necessary to adapt the SSC, the proximal surfaces of the primary molars will be reduced.

The time taken to perform the techniques will be recorded and counted starting after absolute isolation with a rubber dam and ending after restoration of the tooth with GIC, but before placement of the SSC.

After completion of the treatment procedures, immediate postoperative peri-apical radiographs will be taken using digital radiographs. The immediate postoperative radiograph will serve as a baseline record for the successive films. Images will be saved on a PC for further linear and density analysis, which was carried out using Digora image analysis software (Digora for Windows 2.5, Sordex Finndent, Finland).

The same radiographic records and measurements will be obtained twice at different times by the same examiner (second author), who was blind to the type of pulpotomy medicament used. The average readings will be recorded and used for comparisons between successive radiographs and for statistical analysis Children will be recalled after one week for clinical evaluation, then after three, six, nine, and twelve months, respectively, for clinical and radiographic evaluation Second Arm (Non-Vital Teeth) Absolute isolation with a rubber dam. Decayed dentin will be removed using spoon-shaped dentin excavators. The pulp chamber roof will be removed with a high-speed sterile carbide bur number 330, followed by irrigating the pulp chamber with two percent chlorhexidine solution and drying it with cotton balls.

After these steps, non-vital pulpotomy will be performed per the specific protocols indicated for each group.

The coronal parts will be restored by preformed stainless steel crowns. Outcomes Assessment Primary Outcome

1. Clinical success

   The clinical evaluation criteria consisted of:

   Assessing mobility, normal functioning, sensitivity to percussion, gingival inflammation, periodontal pocket formation, and presence or absence of sinus tract according to the scoring system Follow-Up Interval Immediate Postoperative, 1 week, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months

2. Radiographic success

The radiographic evaluation criteria used were:

Radiographic evaluation will be assessed using DIGORA Software according to the scoring system Width of the periodontal membrane space in the furcation area (exactly at the middle of the furcation area and assessed in millimeters).

Presence or absence of internal root resorption /external root resorption. Radio-density of bone at the furcation area to assess the effect of the pulp therapy medicament on alveolar bone.

Follow-Up Interval (Immediate Postoperative, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months) Secondary Outcome Presence or absence of pain Each child was asked to grade present pain on the Wong-Baker FACES Pain Rating Scale (WBFPS). Providing an evaluation of pain intensity at the moment of the patient interview Patient satisfaction Will be assessed by a 5-question Likert instrument assessment of satisfaction Time of procedure: A calibrated stopwatch will be used to record the time of the procedure

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 126
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Mennah Helal, Master of science; Phone Number: 00201009230087; Email: mennah.helal2020@outlook.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Child
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

*Inclusion Criteria* (First Arm)

• Cooperative child
• Presence of symptom-free deep carious lesions
• Presence of at least two-thirds of the root length radiographically; restorable tooth

(Second Arm)

• Primary teeth diagnosed with pulp necrosis, root resorption equal to or less than one-third (with sufficient dental structure for absolute isolation with rubber dam)
• History of spontaneous pain and mobility incompatible with chronological age, possibly with the presence of a sinus tract or swelling
• Presence or absence of a radiolucent area in the periapical or furcation region

*Exclusion Criteria* (First Arm)

• History of systemic diseases
• Teeth showing clinical and radiographical evidence of pulp degeneration, such as history of spontaneous or nocturnal pain, tenderness to percussion or palpation, pathologic mobility, swelling or fistulous tract, periodontal ligament (PDL) space widening, internal root resorption, external root resorption, furcal radiolucency/inter-radicular bone destruction, and/or periapical bone destruction
• Teeth without a permanent successor
• Teeth requiring more than 5 minutes to achieve hemostasis during the clinical procedure

(Second Arm)

• Children with a history of allergic reaction to the components of the tested materials
• Children had used antibiotics in the last three months.
• Teeth with pulp canal obliteration or internal or external pathological root resorption visible in periapical radiographs
• Coronal destruction that would prevent absolute isolation with a rubber dam and/or restoration

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Quadruple

Number of Arms

6

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Group 1: will receive Graphene Oxide using vital pulpotomy technique; Group 1: Vital Teeth will receive Graphene Oxide using vital pulpotomy technique (study group, n=21)	Other: Graphene Oxide using vital pulpotomy technique; After administering local anesthesia, the tooth will be isolated with a rubber dam. All caries will be removed, and coronal access will be gained using a sterile No. 330 bur mounted on a water-cooled high-speed turbine to expose the pulp chamber. A spoon excavator will be used for coronal pulp amputation. The pulp chamber will then be irrigated with saline solution to remove all debris. Hemostasis will be obtained with a moistened cotton pellet gently pressed against the amputated pulp stumps in both groups. Hemorrhage should stop within 5 min of applying the cotton pellet. Graphene Oxide will be applied to cover the pulp chamber. will be prepared as per the manufacturer's instructions to obtain a putty-like consistency. The mixture will be delivered to the pulp stumps and condensed lightly with a moistened sterile cotton pellet. A thick mix of the material will be applied Teeth of all tested groups will be restored after the pulp therapy using high-viscosity glass ionomer
Experimental: Group 2: MTA using vital pulpotomy technique; Group 2: will receive MTA using vital pulpotomy technique (study group, n=21)	Other: MTA using vital pulpotomy technique; After administering local anesthesia, the tooth will be isolated with a rubber dam. All caries will be removed, and coronal access will be gained using a sterile No. 330 bur mounted on a water-cooled high-speed turbine to expose the pulp chamber. A spoon excavator will be used for coronal pulp amputation. The pulp chamber will then be irrigated with saline solution to remove all debris. Hemostasis will be obtained with a moistened cotton pellet gently pressed against the amputated pulp stumps in both groups. Hemorrhage should stop within 5 min of applying the cotton pellet. MTA will be applied to cover the pulp chamber. will be prepared as per the manufacturer's instructions to obtain a putty-like consistency. The mixture will be delivered to the pulp stumps and condensed lightly with a moistened sterile cotton pellet. A thick mix of the material will be applied Teeth of all tested groups will be restored after the pulp therapy using high-viscosity glass ionomer
Active Comparator: Group 3: will receive Zinc Oxide and Eugenol using vital pulpotomy technique (control group, n=21)	Other: Zinc Oxide and Eugenol using vital pulpotomy technique; After administering local anesthesia, the tooth will be isolated with a rubber dam. All caries will be removed, and coronal access will be gained using a sterile No. 330 bur will be mounted on a water-cooled high-speed turbine to expose the pulp chamber. A spoon excavator will be used for coronal pulp amputation. The chamber will then be irrigated with saline solution to remove all debris. Hemostasis will be obtained with a moistened cotton pellet gently pressed against the amputated pulp stumps in both groups. Hemorrhage should stop within 5 min of applying the cotton pellet. Zinc oxide Eugenol will be applied to cover the pulp chamber. will be prepared as per the manufacturer's instructions to obtain a putty-like consistency. The mixture will be delivered to the pulp stumps and condensed lightly with a moistened sterile cotton pellet. A thick mix of the material will be applied Teeth of all tested groups will be restored after the pulp therapy using high-viscosity glass ionomer
Experimental: Group a: will receive Graphene Oxide using non-vital pulpotomy technique (study group, n=21).	Other: Graphene Oxide using non-vital pulpotomy technique; Absolute isolation with a rubber dam. Decayed dentin will be removed using spoon-shaped dentin excavators. The pulp chamber roof will be removed with a high-speed sterile carbide bur number 330, followed by irrigating the pulp chamber with two percent chlorhexidine solution and drying it with cotton balls. After these steps, a non-vital pulpotomy will be performed The coronal parts will be restored by preformed stainless steel crowns.
Experimental: Group b: will receive LSTR using non-vital pulpotomy technique (study group, n=21).	Other: LSTR using non-vital pulpotomy technique; Absolute isolation with a rubber dam. Decayed dentin will be removed using spoon-shaped dentin excavators. The pulp chamber roof will be removed with a high-speed sterile carbide bur number 330, followed by irrigating the pulp chamber with two percent chlorhexidine solution and drying it with cotton balls. After these steps, a non-vital pulpotomy will be performed The coronal parts will be restored by preformed stainless steel crowns.
Active Comparator: Group c: will receive Zinc Oxide and Eugenol using non-vital pulpotomy (Control group, n=21); Group c: will receive Zinc Oxide and Eugenol using non-vital pulpotomy (Control group, n=21).	Other: Zinc Oxide and Eugenol using non-vital pulpotomy; Absolute isolation with a rubber dam. Decayed dentin will be removed using spoon-shaped dentin excavators. The pulp chamber roof will be removed with a high-speed sterile carbide bur number 330, followed by irrigating the pulp chamber with two percent chlorhexidine solution and drying it with cotton balls. After these steps, a non-vital pulpotomy will be performed The coronal parts will be restored by preformed stainless steel crowns.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Clinical success	Assessing mobility, normal functioning, sensitivity to percussion, gingival inflammation, periodontal pocket formation, and presence or absence of sinus tract according to a scoring system from (1) to (4) as follows: Score (1): Asymptomatic Pathology: absent Normal functioning Mobility: (physiological) ≤ 1mm Score (2): Slight Discomfort, short-lived Pathology: questionable Percussion sensitivity Gingival inflammation: (due to poor oral hygiene) Mobility: (physiological) ≤ 1mm Score (3): Minor discomfort, short-lived Pathology: initial changes present Gingival swelling: (not due to poor oral hygiene) Mobility: > 2 mm but < 3 mm Score (4): Major discomfort, long-lived. Extract immediately Pathology: Late changes present Spontaneous pain Gingival swelling: (not due to poor oral hygiene) Periodontal pocket formation (exudate) Sinus tract present Mobility: ≤ 3mm Premature tooth loss due to pathology	Immediate Postoperative, 1 week, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months
Radiographic success	Radiographic evaluation will be assessed using a scoring system from score (1) to (4) as follows: Score (1): No changes at 6 months follow-up* Internal root canal tapering from the chamber to the apex Periodontal ligament \ periapical regions; normal width and trabeculation Score (2): Questionable Pathological changes at 3 months follow-up* No External changes (widened PDL), abnormal inter-radicular trabeculation, or variation in radiodensity Internal resorption is acceptable (not perforated) Calcific metamorphosis is acceptable Score (3): Pathological changes present at 1-month follow-up* External changes are present, but not large Mildly widened PDL Minor inter-radicular radiolucency with trabeculation still present Minor external root resorption; internal resorption changes are acceptable, but not if external changes are also present (perforated form) Score (4): Pathological changes are present. Extract immediately Frank osseous radiolucency present	Immediate Postoperative, 3 months, 6 months and 12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Presence or absence of pain	Each child will be asked to grade present pain on Wong-Baker faces pain rating scale (WBFPS). Providing an evaluation of pain intensity at the moment of interview of patient. These scales were present sequentially. Wong-Baker faces pain rating scale (WBFPS) presents 6 faces with increasing degree of pain from left to right. Each face was attributed scale from 0 to 10 indicated on scale. Children will be asked to choose the face that best describes his or her own pain. Children will taught that each face is for a child who has no pain or some, or a lot. Face 0 does not hurt at all, Face 2 hurts just a little bit, Face 4 hurts a little more, Face 6 hurts even more, Face 8 hurts a whole lot, and Face 10 hurts as much as you can imagine	Immediate Postoperative
Patient satisfaction	Will be assessed by 5-question Likert instrument assessment of satisfaction, patients will be asked to assess a number of statements in the five-point a novel Likert scale instrument, which includes five statements and five standard responses to them. Each of five statements was rated on a 5-point attitude scale of agreement-disagreement with treatment: Strongly disagree (1 score), Disagree (2 scores), Neither agree nor disagree (3 scores), Agree (4 scores), and Strongly-agree (5 scores).	Immediate Postoperative
Time of procedure	A calibrated stop watch will be used to record the time of the procedure. The recording time will start from the administration of anesthesia until the end of the procedure.	Immediate Postopertive

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Al-Azhar University

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): April 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: January 3, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 19, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): February 20, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): February 20, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: February 19, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Primary teeth; MTA; LSTR; Zinc Oxide and Eugenol; Graphene Oxide; Vital pulpotomy; Non Vital Pulpotomy; Conventional Pulp therapy techniques
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Inorganic Chemicals; Oxides; Oxygen Compounds; Zinc Compounds; Zinc Oxide
• Other Study ID Numbers: 1198/6144

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No