Direct Pulp Capping with Calcium-Based Materials: A Mini-Review

Abstract

The dentin-pulp complex responds to injuries and harmful stimuli that affect the tooth by depositing dentin matrix in order to protect the pulp tissue, maintaining tooth vitality. However, maintaining vitality after pulp tissue exposure is still a challenge in dentistry. In this sense, the re-emergence of vital pulp therapies gained strength, especially due to its biologically minimally invasive approach. Among them, direct pulp capping is considered a low invasive technique based on the placement of a dental material directly on the exposed pulp site, facilitating the formation of a protective barrier and the maintenance of pulp vitality. Calcium hydroxide was the most used material for this purpose in the last decades. However, the development of new biocompatible materials, such as MTA and Biodentine, has being related with higher rates of clinical and radiographic success, reinforcing the effectiveness of this treatment. Despite that, more randomized clinical trials and histomorphological analysis of the newformed hard tissue are still needed to assess the quality of this treatment in the long term.