Histological evaluation of therapy using a calcium hydroxide dressing for teeth with incompletely formed apices and periapical lesions.

Periapical tissue response was evaluated histologically in teeth of 6-month-old dogs with incomplete root formation and periapical lesions in order to compare the effects of two calcium hydroxide-containing pastes prepared with different vehicles on induced root apex formation and repair of the periapical region. A group of teeth with no root canal dressing was used as control. After induction of the periapical lesion, the root canals were instrumented and filled with one of the two pastes (Calen and Calasept), which were renewed monthly for 90 days. At the end of the follow-up period (3 months), the animals were killed. Block sections from the actual areas were dissected free and prepared for histopathological analysis. Both calcium hydroxide pastes helped induce apical sealing and repair of the region, but the Calen paste yielded better results than Calasept. The induced mineralized tissue was predominantly of the cementoid type after the use of both pastes, but the inflammatory infiltrate was significantly less intense with the use of the Calen paste. In the control group, the absence of a root canal dressing impaired the process of periapical repair and yielded no apical root closure in any of the cases analyzed.

Effect of intracanal dressings on repair and apical bridging of teeth with incomplete root formation.

Periapical repair and apical bridging were studied in dog's teeth with incomplete root formation and induced chronic periapical lesions treated with different dressings. A total of 75 root canals from the upper and lower premolars of 4 dogs approximately 6 months of age were chemo-mechanically prepared and filled with the following dressings: antibacterial dressing consisting of a calcium hydroxide+camphorated p-monochlorophenol paste applied for 7 days and followed by monthly renewed calcium hydroxide paste as temporary dressing at 30, 60 and 90 days (Group A); antibacterial dressing consisting of camphorated p-monochlorophenol alone for 7 days, followed by temporary dressing with calcium hydroxide paste renewed at 30, 60 and 90 days (Group B). A control group (Group C) received no dressings. Ninety days after the last calcium hydroxide paste (Groups A, B) and after the last irrigation/aspiration (Group C), the animals were killed, the maxillae and mandibles were removed, and the material submitted to routine histological processing and examination. Both root canal dressings, were of fundamental importance for apical repair and bridging. The apical bridging was predominantly complete in Group A, incomplete in Group B, and absent in Group C. The calcium hydroxide+camphorated p-monochlorophenol combination gave better results than camphorated p-monochlorophenol alone.