Does Achievement of Hemostasis After Pulp Exposure Provide an Accurate Assessment of Pulp Inflammation?

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to determine in primary molars with carious exposures whether hemostasis at the exposure site and pulp orifice reflected inflammatory status of the pulp at the canal orifice based on cytokine levels. METHODS: Forty mandibular primary molars with deep caries were included in the study. Teeth were divided into two groups: group A had teeth where hemostasis at the exposure site was achieved within five minutes, and group B had teeth where hemostasis at the exposure site could not be achieved within five minutes. Blood samples were harvested from the exposure sites and canal orifices. Cytokine levels for IL-1ß, IL-2, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, TNF-α, and PGE2 were measured using ELISA for all sample sites. RESULTS: The IL-6 levels at the exposure sites were found to be significantly higher in group A when compared to group B, but there was no statistically significant differences in any of the cytokine levels at the canal orifices between the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Controlling bleeding at the exposure site or canal orifices does not provide accurate assessment of inflammation at the canal orifice and may be misleading for diagnosing vital pulp treatment in primary teeth with a carious pulp exposure.

Avaliaçäo do volume do canal radicular após as instrumentaçöes manual e ultra-sônica / Assessment of the volume of the root canal after manual and ultrasonic instrumentation

A quantidade de remanescentes pulpares presentes no canal radicular principal, após as instrumentaçöes manual e ultra sônica, foi avaliada nas raízes mésio-vestibulares e palatinas de molares superiores humanos. Um método quantitativo, auxiliado pelo computador, foi utilizado para a análise morfológica do canal a partir de secçöes transversais da raiz. Verificou-se que o montante de remanescentes deixados no interior do canal relacionava-se com a complexidade anatômica e independeu da técnica da instrumentaçäo