Comparison of electrosurgical and formocresol pulpotomy procedures in children

Objectives. Although previous studies have examined the electrosurgical pulpotomy technique for primary teeth, no well‐controlled, clinical human trials have been published. The purpose of this study was to prospectively compare electrosurgical pulpotomies vs. formocresol pulpotomies in human vital primary molar teeth. Design. Fifty children were randomly divided into two groups, 25 receiving an electrosurgical pulpotomy and 25 receiving a formocresol pulpotomy. Results. After at least 5 months postoperative observation time, the clinical and radiographic success rates for the electrosurgical groups were 96 and 84%, respectively; and for the formocresol group, 100 and 92%, respectively. Conclusion. There were no statistically significant differences between the success rates for the two groups at the P