(PO93) Survival of Vital Pulp Therapy with Tricalcium Silicates in a Dental School Patient Population

Abstract:
Despite the general acceptance of vital pulp therapy (VPT), very few studies have been reported from US-based institutions that directly compare VPT and root canal treatment (RCT). The goal was to compare the survival rate of VPT using tricalcium silicates with matched controls undergoing RCT in patients with permanent mature first or second molars at least 12 months postoperatively. A review of the electronic health record of all VPT and RCT procedures completed by endodontic residents at the University of Alabama at Birmingham within a finite period was evaluated for incidences of untoward procedures. A contingency analysis with Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the survival rates of both procedures. For a 2-year period from October 2020 through September 2022, there were 162 VPT and 1,319 RCT cases completed on first and second molars. A significant difference was found between the survival rate of VPT (94.6%) and that of RCT (97.6%) (p = .0367; Odds Ratio: 2.366; 95% CI: 1.108-5.042). RCT procedures survived at a higher rate in this patient population. More research is warranted to investigate other parameters of outcomes for VPT versus RCT in teeth with the same pulpal and periapical diagnoses.