Evaluation and Comparison of Formocresol and Sodium Hypochlorite as Pulpotomy Medicaments in Treatment of Mandibular Primary Molars - A Randomized Controlled Study

Background: the main idea behind the pulpotomy of a primary tooth is to remove the infected or inflamed coronal pulp tissues and cover the pulp with a suitable medicament or dressing which promotes healing and preserve the vitality of the teeth especially in young permanent teeth. A medicament should be biologically compatible, have healing capabilities, should be non cytotoxic, or mutagenic and with no carcinogenic potential.Aim: the main aim of the study was to compare and evaluate the efficacy of commonly used two medicaments i.e. formocresol and sodium hypochlorite in pulpotomy of mandibular primary teeth.Material and methodology: a randomized controlled single blinded clinical trial was done on 50 subjects of age ranging from 3 to 6 years with bilateral mandibular first or second molar requiring pulpotomy. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups with 25 subjects in each. Group I, consisted of subjects on which formocresol medicament was used after extirpation of coronal pulp while in Group II, 3% sodium hypochlorite was used. Clinical along with the radiographic signs and symptoms were blindly recorded at an interval of 1, 3, 6 and 12 months respectively.Results: Statistically significant results were obtained in group II, when patients treated with 3% sodium hypochlorite. There was no major difference between the two medicaments used, but to the various adverse effects of formocresol, its usage has been limited.Conclusion: within the limitation of the study, it was concluded that sodium hypochlorite medicament proved to have better prognosis and can be suggested as a pulpotomy agent for primary teeth. Although formocresol was found to have similar significant results can also be used as a medicament.Keywords: Formocresol, Pulpotomy, Primary Teeth, Sodium Hypochlorite