127 - Prevalence of Pulpotomies: Changes in Treatment Plan Philosophy

Abstract:

Purpose: The objective of this retrospective study is to quantify and compare the amount of pulpotomies and crowns performed in children aged 4-8 during 2009-2012 and 2019-2022. This study aims to represent the changes in treatment plan philosophy.

Methods: Retrospective study using the electronic records from the UT Health San Antonio School of Dentistry patient database to search and identify the dental code for pulpotomies (D3220), stainless steel crowns (D2930), and primary esthetic crowns (D2934). The dental codes were populated from Axium electronic dental records and anonymized between January 2009 - December 2012 (period 1) and January 2019 - December 2022 (period 2). The inclusion criteria were: all children, ASA I-III, and ages 4-8. The data was modeled over time with a generalized, linear mixed effects model with a random effect for year and a log link function.

Results: In period 1, there were 744 pulpotomies and 2,969 crowns. In period 2, there were 373 pulpotomies and 2,912 crowns. Between the 2 periods, the odds of pulpotomies were reduced by 49%.

Conclusion: This study shows the number of pulpotomies performed are decreasing. Overall, the data collected from this study can be utilized to represent the changes in treatment plan philosophy for pulp treatment

Identify Supporting Agency and Grant Number: This research project is supported and funded by the Department of Developmental Dentistry - Pediatric Dentistry at the University of Texas - Health San Antonio.