Evaluation of a resin modified glass ionomer serving both as indirect pulp therapy and as restorative material for primary molars.

AIM: The successful performance of resin modified glass ionomer cement (RMGIC) as an indirect pulp therapy (IPT) dressing material and, independently, as a class II restoration material for primary molars has been adequately documented. This study investigates if an RMGIC can be successfully used in a dual capacity.

METHODS

A total of 61, 3.5-8.5 year old children with deep proximal carious lesions in one or more primary molars, radiographically suspected of pulp exposure, were included. Teeth exclusion criteria were: continuous unprovoked pain and an exposed or a non-vital pulp. Following adequate caries removal, RMGIC restorations were placed. The teeth were followed up for signs/symptoms and for restoration survival according to modified United States Public Health Service (USPHS) criteria. Descriptive statistics and a Fisher's exact test were applied.

RESULTS

The prospective study was completed with 86 restorations in 41 first and 45 second primary molars. Three of the 86 teeth showed pulp necrosis and the remaining 83 (96.5%) were a) asymptomatic for a mean clinical observation time of 31.9 months (SD 10.8) and b) with no radiographic signs of pathology for 25.7 months (SD 10.3). Seventy six of these 83 (91.6%) class II-'extended' restorations were acceptable, exhibiting varying levels of occlusal wear.

CONCLUSIONS

A single application of RMGIC was used successfully for over 2 ½ years as an IPT and restoration material in proximal caries of primary molars.