Abstract
The purpose of this paper is to report on the results of a long term clinical and radiographical observation of the condition of deciduous teeth after root canal filling with VITAPEX, on the resorption of the roots and of the filling materials, and on the eruption of the successors to the treated teeth.
The subjects of this study were 126 children (67 boys and 59 girls),183 teeth (54 pulpectomized teeth and 129 infected root canal treated teeth), with 434 root canals. These teeth were filled with the iodoform-calcium hydroxide root canal filling material “VITAPEX”, and evaluated clinically and radiographically at periods ranging from 2 months to 49 months.
The results were as follows;
1. Clinical and radiographical resuults showed that out of 49 cases (pulpectomy),1 case (2.0%) was a failure and out of 114 cases (infected root canal treatment),15 cases (13.2%) were failures.
2. Based on radiographic observation, a tendency toward, under fillings in the mesial root canal of lower primary molars was seen.
3. Excessive root canal filling materials were absorbed within two or three months.
4. VITAPEX was absorbed smoothly with the proportionate resorption of the root in all cases.
5. There were 16 cases of permanent teeth eruption during the clinical and radiographical observation. In 8 cases the corresponding teeth on the opposite side had not been treated by removal therapy of pulp. In 4 out of these 8 cases, the successors erupted faster than the controls on the opposite side. In 3 cases the successors erupted slowly, and in 1 case the successor and control erupted at about same time.
