Partial pulpotomy as a treatment alternative for exposed pulps in crown-fractured permanent incisors

Abstract Sixty-three vital permanent incisors with complicated crown fractures were treated by partial pulpotomy and assessed clinically and radiographically for healing. Healing of the pulp was considered to have taken place when the following criteria were fulfilled: absence of clinical symptoms, radiographic evidence of dentin bridge formation, no intrapulpal or periapical pathosis, continued root development in immature teeth, and a positive response to electrical pulp testing. The treatment was successful in 59 teeth (94%). In the remaining 4 teeth, necrosis of the pulp was diagnosed clinically and radiographically 3 weeks to 6 months after treatment. The high frequency of healing in both the present and previous studies seems to justify recommending partial pulpotomy as the treatment of choice in crown-fractured teeth with pulp exposure.