Improving Restorative Treatment Outcomes With Current Vital Pulp Therapy

The clinical goal of any restorative treatment should be to maintain dental pulp vitality. The pulp tissue is necessary for tooth nutrition, innervation, and immunocompetency. Over the last several years, vital pulp treatment has changed in regard to procedure and materials used. This CE article will provide the clinician with details regarding these changes in clinical vital pulp therapy. 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Explain the clinical importance of obtaining a pretreatment pulpal and periradicular diagnosis before performing restorative treatment that may involve vital pulp therapy.

• Describe a normal pulp and reversible pulpitis pretreatment pulpal diagnosis.

• Explain the clinical advantages of using bioceramics instead of calcium hydroxide on an exposed vital pulp.

• Discuss the clinical treatment of the pulp tissue if it is exposed during restorative dental treatment. 

About the Authors

James Bahcall, DMD, MS, FICD, FACD, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Endodontics, University of Illinois-Chicago, College of Dentistry, Chicago, Illinois; Seema Ashrafi, DDS, MS, Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Periodontics, University of Illinois-Chicago, College of Dentistry, Chicago, Illinois; and Qian Xie, DDS, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Endodontics, University of Illinois-Chicago, College of Dentistry, Chicago, Illinois