The American Association of Endodontists (AAE) has released a new position statement in support of vital pulp therapy, which preserves the vitality and function of the dental pulp after injury resulting from trauma, caries, or restorative procedures.
These procedures already have been widely accepted as an option for treating injured pulps in adult teeth that do not yet have fully formed roots, the AAE said.
The AAE supports vital pulp therapy as a treatment option that providers may offer their patients for adult teeth with injured pulps and fully formed roots. Previously, only root canal therapy or extraction may have been considered for these teeth.
Notably, the AAE said, the statement supports complete caries removal, with the feasibility of vital pulp therapy determined by direct inspection of the exposed dental pulp. It also address, among other considerations, the selection of biomaterials and permanent restoration.
In developing its position statement, the AAE said that a dedicated special committee based its recommendations on many recent studies demonstrating a high rate of success for these procedures in properly selected cases.
While the statement is presented from the perspective of the specialty of endodontics, the AAE said, its recommendations may be useful to any practitioner in assessing his or her ability to provide vital pulp therapy for the benefit of patients.
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