Preferences of treatments and materials used in the management of exposed pulps: a web-based questionnaire study

Introduction
There is no consensus regarding the options of treatments and materials used in the management of exposed pulps among dentists.

Objectives
The aim of this study was to investigate dentists’ options of treatments (TO) and materials (MO) used to manage exposed pulps that occur during deep caries removal in asymptomatic permanent teeth, and how background characteristics of dentists influence these options.

Material and methods
A web-based questionnaire was constructed and distributed randomly. The questionnaire’ investigated background characteristics, TO (direct pulp capping [DPC], root canal treatment [RCT], and partial and full pulpotomies) and MO (calcium hydroxide, TheraCal, MTA, and Biodentine).

Results
There were 363 dentists who participated in the study. In asymptomatic exposed pulps, 43.0%, 45.5%, 2.5%, and 2.5% of respondents performed DPC, RCT, partial pulpotomy, and full pulpotomy, respectively. Performing vital pulp therapies (VPT) was significantly associated with endodontists (OR: 2.85, 95% CI: 1.30-6.20%, p < 0.01), academic members (vs. non-academicians) (OR: 2.86, 95% CI: 1.36-6.03%, p < 0.01), and respondents with a PhD degree (vs. bachelor’s degree) (OR: 4.87, 95% CI: 1.39-17.02%, p < 0.05), respectively. The preferred material for pulp capping was TheraCal (39.7%), followed by calcium hydroxide (33.9%), MTA (21.55%), and Biodentine (5.0%). Using calcium silicate-based materials was significantly associated with male dentists (OR: 4.09, 95% CI: 2.25-7.43%, p < 0.001) or respondents with MSc degrees (OR: 3.63, 95% CI: 1.68-7.84%, p < 0.01).

Conclusions
Vital pulp therapy and the use of MTA or Biodentine to manage exposed pulps are not performed routinely by general dental practitioners, non-academician, females, and dentists with bachelor’s degrees in dental surgery.