Comparing the Effectiveness of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate and Biodentine as Direct Pulp Capping Agents in Permanent Teeth with Deep Carious Lesions

Objective: To compare the effectiveness of Mineral Tri-oxide aggregate and bio-dentine in direct pulp capping of patients reporting to Rehman College of Dentistry Peshawar. Study Design: A Randomized controlled clinical trial (RCT) Place and duration of study. Department of Operative Dentistry and Endodontics, Rehman College of Dentistry, Rehman Medical Institute, Peshawar. From January 2022 to January 2023. Material and methods: A total of 80 subjects were divided randomly into two groups, i.e., of Mineral Tri-oxide aggregate and Biodentine. Patients aged 18-40 years, both genders, with deep carious lesions, symptoms of reversible pulpitis, and vital teeth with no peri-apical radiolucency were included. Direct pulp capping was done with MTA in Group I (n = 40) and Biodentine in Group II (n = 40). All the patients were called for follow-up after 3 weeks, and subjective assessment of pain was done on the VAS scale. Pulp vitality was assessed by the EPT test. The absence of subjective pain and the presence of pulp vitality on the EPT test was considered the success (effectiveness) of that specific treatment. A chi-square test was applied for the comparison of outcome variables. Results: The mean age was 24.69 (±4.95) years, with a range from 18 to 40 years. The females were 36 (45.0%), and the males were 44 (55.0%). The frequency of moderate pain was higher in MTA (n=5, 12.5%) than Biodentine (n=2, 5%), but the results were not statistically significant (p=0.49). Similarly, the efficacy of pulp capping (p=0.51) and pulp vitality (p=0.709) was not statistically different between the two groups. Conclusion: There is no difference between Biodentine and MTA in pain, pulp efficacy, and pulp vitality. No association was found with age group, gender, diabetes, and smoking.