Histopathological evaluation of pulpotomy with Er,Cr:YSGG laser vs formocresol.

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to histologically investigate whether pulpotomy with Er,CrYSGG laser is an acceptable alternative for formocresol. Pulpotomy of 48 dog's primary canine teeth was performed with formocresol or Er,CrYSGG laser. Histological evaluations on hematoxylin and eosin-stained pulp tissues were made by an optical microscope 7 or 60 days later. Statistical analysis was performed with Fisher's exact test, Mann-Whitney U test, and Student's t test. Seven days after pulpotomy, samples treated with laser had significantly favorable histological features in the following measures: continuity of odontoblastic layer (P<0.001), presence of hemorrhage (P<0.008), amount of inflammation (P<0.002), tissue necrosis (P<0.001), internal resorption (P<0.002), level of vascularization (P<0.002), and size of abscess (P<0.041). Similar results were observed 60 days after pulpotomy, except that the differences were not mostly significant due to natural exfoliation of 16 teeth. In conclusion, Er,CrYSGG laser system is an acceptable alternative for formocresol in pulpotomy of deciduous teeth.