COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF THREE DIFFERENT PULP CAPPING AGENTS ON CORONAL DISCOLORATION USING SPECTROPHOTOMETRIC ANALYSIS: AN INVITRO STUDY

C. Sunil Kumar, Reddy Selvi Ramchandra, *Shaik Hakeem, Vamsee Krishna Nallagatla, S. Sunil Kumar, K. S. Chandra Babu

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Dental caries is one of the most common human diseases, with a 54.16% prevalence in the Indian population aged 3–75 years. Non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs) result from attrition, erosion, abrasion, or abfraction and are unrelated to microorganisms. Vital pulp therapy uses pulp-capping materials that may cause tooth discoloration due to leakage into dentinal tubules or residues in the pulp chamber. Calcium hydroxide has long been the gold standard, while MTA—especially Gray MTA—causes discoloration because of metal oxides. Biodentine, a calcium silicate cement, offers improved biocompatibility and reduced discoloration. This in vitro study evaluates coronal discoloration using spectrophotometric analysis. Materials and Methodology: Thirty extracted maxillary incisors were prepared, debrided, and randomly assigned to MTA, Bio dentine, or Dycal groups (n=10). Materials were placed in pulp chambers and specimens stored at 37°C. Tooth color (L*, a*, b*) was recorded at baseline and follow-ups, and ΔE values calculated using the CIELAB formula. Results: Mean ΔE values for MTA, Bio dentine, and Dycal increased over time. MTA and Bio dentine showed gradual discoloration, with Bio dentine exhibiting lower values. Dycal showed the highest ΔE at 1 month (4.94±1.27) before decreasing at 3 months. Statistical analysis used one-way and repeated-measures ANOVA with Tukey’s post hoc test. Conclusion: All groups showed progressive coronal discoloration. Delta E changes from 1 week to 3 months were statistically significant among materials. Dycal produced the greatest discoloration, followed by MTA, while Biodentine showed the lowest Delta E values, indicating the least coronal discoloration overall.

Keywords: .