Long-term Survival and Outcomes of Direct Pulp Capping with Bioceramic iRoot BP Plus in Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the long-term efficacy and safety of the bioceramic material iRoot BP Plus compared with mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) in direct pulp capping for symptomatic irreversible pulpitis (SIP).

METHODS

A single-center retrospective cohort study was conducted, including SIP patients who underwent direct pulp capping between January 2016 and December 2020, with a minimum follow-up of 36 months. Propensity score matching (PSM) with replacement was used to balance baseline characteristics, resulting in 92 teeth each in the iRoot BP Plus group and the MTA group The primary outcome was pulp survival, assessed by combined clinical and radiographic criteria. Statistical analyses for group comparisons incorporated weights from the PSM. Secondary outcomes included pain intensity changes, reparative dentin bridge formation, and complications. An exploratory multivariable Cox regression analysis with a reduced set of covariates was employed to identify prognostic factors, and sensitivity analyses were performed according to tooth position and preoperative pain level.

RESULTS

At 36 months post-treatment, the pulp survival rate was 88.0% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 79.6-93.4%) in the iRoot BP Plus group and 86.9% (95% CI: 78.3-92.6%) in the MTA group, with no statistically significant difference (P = .730). The absolute difference was 1.1% (95% CI: -8.4% to 10.7%). No significant differences were observed between groups in reparative dentin bridge formation (78.3% vs. 75.0%), vitality response, or complication rates. Exploratory multivariate analysis identified higher preoperative pain level (visual analog scale ≥7) as an independent risk factor for treatment failure (hazard ratio = 2.35, 95% CI: 1.22-4.52, P = .010), whereas the type of capping material did not influence outcomes (hazard ratio = 0.98, 95% CI: 0.46-2.11, P = .962). Subgroup analyses further confirmed comparable performance of both materials across different tooth positions and pain strata.

CONCLUSION

iRoot BP Plus demonstrates comparable long-term efficacy to MTA in direct pulp capping for SIP, with favorable clinical applicability and safety. Preoperative pain intensity, rather than the choice of capping material, appears to be a critical determinant of prognosis.