Effect of Carisolv on the human dental pulp: a histological study

Objectives. The aim of this study was to investigate histopathologically after 1 week and 1 month the effect of Carisolv on exposed human pulp after a contact period of 10 min in comparison to sterile saline solution. Methods. Class V cavities were prepared in 40 human first premolars, and the pulp chambers were perforated. The pulp tissue was either exposed to Carisolv or sterile saline solution for 10 min, covered with Teflon and restored with compomer filling material. After observation periods of 1 week and 1 month, the teeth were extracted and examined by light microscopy. Results. Histological evaluation revealed similar pulpal response which consisted of a slight inflammation in both groups after 1 week. The only difference was localized haemorrhage in controls while no haemorrhage was observed in the test group which may show the haemostatic effect of Carisolv. After 1 month the test teeth displayed a very mild inflammation adjacent to the perforation area while haemorrhage disappeared in the controls. In general, pulps showed structural integrity in both groups. Statistical analysis showed no difference between the test and the control groups in both test periods. Conclusions. The results suggest that Carisolv is biocompatible with human pulp tissue and may have a haemostatic effect. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.