Long-term clinical and radiographic evaluation of the effectiveness of direct pulp capping materials: A meta-analysis

The aim of this review is to evaluate the long-term effectiveness of calcium silicate-based cement (CS) and calcium hydroxide (CH) for direct pulp capping (DPC) to human pulp-exposed permanent teeth. An electronic search and manual search were performed on 21 June 2019. Long-term clinical and radiographic evaluations of the effectiveness of CS and CH for DPC to human pulp-exposed teeth were included, and data extraction, risk-of-bias assessment and meta -analyses were performed. From 645 identified articles, 7 articles met the eligibility criteria. The meta-analyses comparing CS with CH and Biodentine with mineral trioxide aggregates (MTA) on DPC success rate were performed, and significant difference was observed between CS and CH (risk ratio=1.20; p=0.005), whereas no significant difference was observed between Biodentine and MTA. CS seems to be a more effective and predictable DPC material than CH; however, these analyses are based on the studies judged at high risk of bias.

Automated summary

This review evaluates the long-term effectiveness of calcium silicate-based cement and calcium hydroxide for direct pulp capping to human pulp-exposed permanent teeth. The meta-analyses show that there is a significant difference in success rate between CS and CH, with CS being more effective and predictable.