Direct pulp capping versus root canal treatment in young permanent vital teeth with pulp exposure due to caries. A systematic review.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the available evidence on pulp capping procedures and root canal treatment in young permanent teeth with vital pulps exposed by caries. METHODS: The study was conducted as a systematic review of the literature. Three databases, PubMed, Web of Knowledge, and The Cochrane Library were searched. Reference lists of relevant articles were hand searched. The quality of all relevant publications was rated. RESULTS: Ten original scientific studies were included in the review. The quality was rated as low in all studies. The search failed to disclose any article directly comparing pulp capping and root canal treatment. The level of evidence was insufficient to draw any conclusions regarding the effectiveness of the two treatment concepts. High success rates are reported for pulp capping procedures in exposure due to caries, though it is not possible to compare them to success rates of root canal treatment. The review confirms the lack of high quality studies on the treatment of young permanent teeth with cariously exposed pulps. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: For the treatment of young permanent teeth with pulp exposure due to caries there is currently no evidence to support the assumption on pulp capping being more beneficial than root canal treatment in achieving a symptom free tooth with normal periapical conditions.