Comparative Evaluation of Direct Pulp Capping Between Deep and Extremely Deep Caries in Mature Permanent Mandibular Molars With Reversible Pulpitis

Comparative Evaluation of Direct Pulp Capping Between Deep and Extremely Deep Caries in Mature Permanent Mandibular Molars With Reversible Pulpitis: A Prospective Study

The aim of the study is to compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of direct pulp capping for deep and extremely deep caries in mature permanent mandibular molars with reversible pulpitis. Primary objective of the study is to evaluate the clinical and radiographic success of direct pulp capping for deep and extremely deep caries in mature permanent mandibular molars with reversible pulpitis. Secondary objective of the study is to evaluate and compare postoperative pain following direct pulp capping for deep and extremely deep caries in mature permanent mandibular molars with reversible pulpitis. Subjects of age group 18 - 40 yrs will be included and divided into two groups 1) Permanent mature molars with deep carious lesion 2) Permanent mature molars with extremely deep carious lesion.

Study Overview

• Status: Recruiting
• Conditions: Deep Caries; Reversible Pulpitis; Extremely Deep Caries
• Intervention / Treatment: Procedure: Direct pulp capping in extremely deep carious lesion.; Procedure: Direct pulp capping in deep carious lesion.

Detailed Description

TITLE-Comparative evaluation of direct pulp capping between deep and extremely deep caries in mature permanent mandibular molars with reversible pulpitis. PICO P (Population) -Mature permanent mandibular molars with clinical signs of reversible pulpitis. I (Intervention) - Direct pulp capping in teeth with extremely deep carious lesion. C (Comparison) - Direct pulp capping in teeth with deep carious lesion. O (Outcome) - 1. Assessment of clinical success at 7 days, 6 months, 12 months and radiographic success at 6 and 12 months of follow up. To assess pain experience at preoperative and post operatively at 24 hours intervals for one week. Direct pulp capping is considered as the most conservative procedure to treat mechanically or traumatically exposed pulp. In this procedure, biomaterial is directly applied on the exposed pulp. Acc to depth of caries, carious lesion has been classified as deep caries (reaching inner quarter of dentine) and extremely deep caries (extending through entire dentine thickness). Various studies on direct pulp capping in deep carious lesions with reversible pulpitis have reported success rates ranging from 77.3% (Mridula Parmeswaran et al 2023) to 100% (Awawdeh et al., 2018). A prospective study by Wadhwa H. et al. (2025) demonstrated a 95.2% success rate for direct pulp capping with extremely deep carious lesions and reversible pulpitis in young individuals. A randomized clinical trial by Taha et al. (2025), which included both deep and extremely deep carious lesions, reported a direct pulp capping success rate of 81.3%. A recent systematic review and meta-analysis by S. Cushley et al. (2020) highlighted that the depth of caries penetration is a critical factor that need to be considered when evaluating the outcomes of direct pulp capping in cariously exposed pulps. Currently, there is a lack of clinical trials comparing the effectiveness of direct pulp capping in cases of deep and extremely deep caries presenting with reversible pulpitis. Hence, the present trial is designed to assess differences in clinical and radiographic outcomes of direct pulp capping between deep and extremely deep carious lesions in mature permanent teeth diagnosed with reversible pulpitis.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 130
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Dr. Vinay Kumar, MDS; Phone Number: 8901149107; Email: 29vinaykr@gmail.com
• Study Contact Backup: Name: Dr. Vineeta Yadav, PG Student; Phone Number: 08209485968; Email: vineeta1799@gmail.com

Study Locations

• India
  • Haryana
    • Rohtak, Haryana, India, 124001
      • Recruiting
      • PGIDS , Rohtak
      • Contact: Dr. Vinay Kumar, MDS; Phone Number: 8901149107; Email: 29vinaykr@gmail.com
      • Contact: Dr. Vineeta, PG Student; Phone Number: 08209485968; Email: vineeta1799@gmail.com

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:1. The patient should be 18-40 years of age. 2. Patients with deep and extremely deep caries in permanent mandibular molars. 3. Deep caries lesion -Reaching the inner quarter of dentine on radiograph 4. Extremely deep caries lesion - Caries penetrating the entire thickness of dentin on radiograph. 5. Reversible pulpitis will be diagnosed clinically based on discomfort experienced by the participant when a stimulus such as cold or sweet is applied and goes away within a couple of seconds following removal of stimulus, with no significant radiographic changes in the periapical region of the suspect tooth and pain experienced is not spontaneous. 6. Tooth should give positive response to pulp sensibility testing. 7. Bleeding can be controlled with in 8 minutes. 8. Radiographic finding of periapical index (PAI) score ≤2. 9. Healthy periodontium (probing pocket depth ≤3 mm and mobility within normal limit). Exclusion criteria

1. Teeth with immature roots.
2. Internal/external resorption.
3. Patient experience spontaneous pain.
4. Negative response to vitality testing
5. No pulp exposure after complete caries excavation.
6. Signs of pulpal necrosis, insufficient bleeding after pulp exposure, sinus tract, swelling.
7. Bleeding could not be controlled in 8 minutes.
8. Pregnant women
9. Contributory medical history (alcoholism, smokers, diabetic, hypertension, drug dependency, Heart or valve disease, hepatitis, herpes, immunodeficiency (HIV), infectious diseases, kidney or liver, migraine)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Treatment
• Allocation: Non-Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Direct pulp capping in extremely deep carious lesion; Direct pulp capping will be performed after establishing a clinical diagnosis of reversible pulpitis i.e. if the tooth showed symptoms triggered by cold stimuli but relieved within couple of seconds.	Procedure: Direct pulp capping in extremely deep carious lesion.; After pulp exposure, pulp wound will be irrigated with 3%NaOCl, and bleeding will be controlled by placing a cotton pellet soaked with 3%NaOCl over the pulpal wound for every 2 minutes till. Hemostasis will be achieved with 3% NaOCl .The time used to control bleeding will be recorded for each tooth. Teeth with excessive uncontrollable bleeding even after 8 mins will be excluded from the study; however, definite treatment will be provided to the patient. Size of exposure will be measured. After that, ProRoot MTA of 2-3 mm thickness will be applied over the lesion followed by the application of layer of RMGIC. Then the tooth will be permanently restored with composite resin. After restoration, a postoperative periapical radiograph will be taken using a digital imaging system for comparative evaluation after 6 months and 12 months follow up.
Active Comparator: Direct pulp capping in deep carious lesion; Direct pulp capping will be performed after establishing a clinical diagnosis of reversible pulpitis i.e. if the tooth showed symptoms triggered by cold stimuli but relieved within couple of seconds.	Procedure: Direct pulp capping in deep carious lesion.; After pulp exposure, pulp wound will be irrigated with 3%NaOCl, and bleeding will be controlled by placing a cotton pellet soaked with 3%NaOCl over the pulpal wound for every 2 minutes. Hemostasis will be achieved with 3% NaOCl . The time used to control bleeding will be recorded for each tooth. Teeth with excessive uncontrollable bleeding even after 8 mins will be excluded from the study; however, definite treatment will be provided to the patient. Size of exposure will be measured. After that, ProRoot MTA of 2-3 mm thickness will be applied over the lesion followed by the application of layer of RMGIC. Then the tooth will be permanently restored with composite resin. After restoration, a postoperative periapical radiograph will be taken using a digital imaging system for comparative evaluation after 6 months and 12 months follow up.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Success rate at 12 months	Criteria for success:- Clinical: 1. Absence of signs and symptoms of spontaneous pain or pain on stimulus and discomfort except for the first few days after treatment. 2. No tenderness to palpation or percussion and the tooth is functional. 3. Normal mobility and probing pocket depth. 4. Absence of associated soft tissue swelling, sinus or fistula. Radiographic: - 1. Absence of any periapical or interradicular radiolucency. 2. Complete radiographic healing (PAI score 1 or 2 acc. to Ostravik et al). 3. Absence of internal and external root resorption Tooth will be considered successful when all the above parameters are met.	12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Postoperative pain	Post Operative Pain To assess incidence and intensity of pain postoperatively at every 24 hours till 7 days using Visual analogue Scale of 0 to 100 millimeter line. Score 0 means no pain and Score100 means maximum pain. To assess incidence and intensity of pain postoperatively at every 24 hours till 7 days using Visual analogue Scale of 0 to 100 millimeter line. Score 0 means no pain and Score 100 means maximum pain.	Baseline and at 24 hours, Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, Day 4, Day 5, Day 6 and Day 7 after the treatment

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Postgraduate Institute of Dental Sciences Rohtak
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Dr. Vinay Kumar, MDS, PGIDS, Rohtak

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): April 29, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): October 28, 2027
• Study Completion (Estimated): April 28, 2028

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: July 6, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 6, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): July 10, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): July 10, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: July 6, 2026
• Last Verified: July 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Deep caries; Direct Pulp Capping; Reversible Pulpitis; Extremely Deep caries
• Other Study ID Numbers: Vineeta

Drug and device information, study documents

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