الفهرس Only 14 pages are availabe for public view
 |  | from | 178 |  |  |
| | | from | 178 | | |
Abstract
The dental pulp is a living tissue which composed of highly vascular connective tissue encased in dentin, which provides protection. However, the pulp may receive injuries from different irritations, bacterial, mechanical and/or thermal. The extent of pulpal damage and the vitality of the tooth depend on the severity of injury and the ability of the pulp to react against such irritations.
The ultimate goal of vital pulp therapy is to maintain the vitality and function of the dentin-pulp complex. Indirect and direct pulp capping are techniques often used to preserve the pulp vitality even when exposure occurs. An effective pulp capping material should be biocompatible to vital pulp tissues, and insoluble in the oral environment. At the same time it should promote hard tissue formation and have good sealing properties.
Several materials have been tried as capping materials over the years with conflicting reported data on the advantages and disadvantages of each material. Calcium hydroxide in its various forms is the most widely used pulp-capping agent. Numerous studies have been reported about its highly biological and compatible effects on the exposed dental pulp and its ability to form reparative dentin. This material is widely used in most biological studies as a negative control material (Kardos et al., 1998(66), Hörsted-Bindslev et al., 2003(59)&Goldberg et al., 2003(46) ).
Recently the sealing potential of dentin bonding systems has made these materials as an attractive alternative for direct pulp capping. It is believed that their sealing potential can prevent bacteria from entering the pulp and subsequently prevent bacterial irritation (Kanca 1996)(64). However, the ability of these materials to initiate reparative dentin formation and their biocompatibility to the vital pulp tissues when they are applied in direct contact with the pulp tissues have controversial views. At the same time long-term studies are needed to assure anecdotal evidence of success.