Efficacy of orthoMTA, retroMTA and ferric sulphate as pulpotomy agents in primary molars: a randomized clinical trial

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to evaluate the clinical and radiographic success rates of RetroMTA, OrthoMTA, and ferric sulfate as pulpotomy agents in primary molars. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Ninety-six primary second molars from 32 children aged 5 to 9 years were enrolled in this study. The teeth were randomly divided into three groups based on the pulpotomy agent used: O-MTA, R-MTA, and FS. Clinical and radiographic follow-up examinations were conducted at 3, 6, 9, and 18 months postoperatively. RESULTS: At the end of the study period, 84 teeth were evaluated. The clinical success rates were 75% for FS, 96.4% for O-MTA, and 92.8% for R-MTA groups. In the radiographic analysis, the success rates at the 18-month follow-up period were 50% for FS, 85.8% for O-MTA, and 82.2% for R-MTA groups. According to the Chi-square test and Kaplan-Meier survival analysis, there was a statistically significant difference among the success rates and survival probabilities of the groups (p<0.05). CONCLUSION: OrthoMTA and RetroMTA demonstrated better treatment outcomes for pulpotomy of primary second molars than ferric sulfate at the 18-month follow-up period.