Comparison of calcium hydroxide and zinc oxide and eugenol pulpectomies in primary teeth of dogs.

The purpose of this investigation was to compare calcium hydroxide with zinc oxide and eugenol (ZOE) as root canal obturants in the pulpectomy procedure for irreversibly inflamed primary pulps of dogs. Clinical, radiographic, and histologic comparisons of calcium hydroxide and ZOE root canal filling materials were made in forty-two primary premolars of seven mongrel puppies. When the animals were 6 weeks of age, the pulps of all samples teeth were extirpated and the canals left open to the oral environment. The root canals were assigned to calcium hydroxide, ZOE, and control groups, instrumented, and filled 2 weeks later. The animals were killed 1 day, 1 week, 4 weeks, and 12 weeks after filling. Statistical analysis of all categories for comparison at 4 weeks indicated that calcium hydroxide gave significantly more favorable results than ZOE. Canals treated with calcium hydroxide exhibited less inflammation, less resorption, and more hard-tissue apposition than ZOE-treated and control groups.