Lateral condensation in treatment of pulpitis and pulp gangrene: studies on dog canine teeth.

The clinical investigation, carried out in dogs, comprises selected cases of chronic pulpitis and pulpal gangrene of canine teeth resulting from injuries. A group of 20 teeth (group 1) underwent extirpation of pulp, as well as elaboration of a root canal and its filling with Endomethasone paste, under general anaesthesia during a one-stage procedure. The second group of 20 teeth differed from the first in an additional concentration of the paste, due to an introduction of gutta-percha points (lateral condensation). This sealing modification proved to diminish the risk of leaving empty spaces after pulp removal in the pulpitis state. However, in teeth where gangrenous pulp extirpation was performed, lateral condensation was endangered by pushing the paste through beyond the apex. Both anomalies were likely to predispose to the development of apical periodontitis.