A paradigm shift from calcium hydroxide to bioceramics in direct pulp capping: A narrative review.

For many years, calcium hydroxide (CH) was the preferred material for direct pulp capping (DPC), occupying an elevated position. The collapse of this paradigm is due to the emergence of bioceramics with less pulpal inflammation and superior mineralization abilities than CH. The goal of the current article was directed to: (1) review the history of DPC "the idea of an exposed pulp as a hopeless organ has given way to one of healing and optimism," (2) classify the bioceramics in dentistry, and (3) explain and compare the mechanism by which dentin barriers for CH and bioceramics are formed. A comprehensive literature search of the database was conducted using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus utilizing the following terms: Biodentine, calcium hydroxide, calcium aluminate, calcium phosphate, calcium silicate, direct pulp capping, NeoMTA Plus, Quick-Set2, and TotalFill. Reference mining of the selected publications was utilized to discover other studies and strengthen the results. Only works written in English were taken into consideration, and there were no restrictions on the year of publication. Bioceramic materials might be used as an intriguing substitute for CH. Compared to CH, they induced more positive pulpal reactions.

Pulpal repair after direct pulp capping with new bioceramic materials: A comparative histological study.

AIM: To histopathologically evaluate the pulpal healing after direct pulp capping with TotalFill and compared it with Neo MTA Plus in human tooth cultures. METHODS: Forty sound human premolars freshly extracted for orthodontic reasons were randomly assigned to two experimental groups; group I: TotalFill and group II: Neo MTA Plus. Standardized Class V cavities were prepared on the buccal surface of each tooth where the pulp exposure was performed with a dental explorer. The pulp-exposed teeth were immediately capped with one of the tested materials. The prepared cavities were then finally restored with glass-ionomer cement. Teeth were cultured for three weeks and three months. Then, the cultured teeth were demineralized, sectioned and stained for histopathological evaluation. Data collected and statistically analyzed by using Fisher's exact test. The significance level was set at P ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: Histopathological analysis showed complete dentin bridge formation and an absence of inflammatory pulp response. Statistical analysis showed no significant differences between the TotalFill and Neo MTA Plus groups during the observation periods. However, a significantly higher thickness of the dentin bridge was found in the group of teeth treated with TotalFill at three months. CONCLUSIONS: TotalFill produced similar favorable pulp healing and repair, and were comparable to Neo MTA Plus. Furthermore, TotalFill can form a thicker dentin bridge compared with Neo MTA Plus.