MINERALIZED DEPOSITS IN PULPS OF INCOMPLETELY DEVELOPED PERMANENT MONKEY INCISORS AFTER PULPOTOMY WITH TUNGSTEN CARBIDE FISSURE BURS

The exposed pulp of incompletely developed permanent incisors of nine monkeys were treated with partial pulpotomy with tungsten carbide fiss ure burs on an air turbine equipment. The pulps were capped with calci um hydroxide (Dycal(R)) followed by insertion of conventional amalgam. The results were studied by conventional light microscopy after 1 and 6 months. Rod-like mineralized pulpal deposits were seen in five of t he nine animals, in 9 out of 67 teeth, evenly distributed at the two o bservation times. Also the lengths of the deposits appeared similar, w hile the thickness had increased markedly after 6 months. After 1 mont h the presence of a central vessel lumen was observed in the deposits. The results seemed to indicate that the mechanism of formation was an initial pathologic mineralization of the vessel wall. and a growth of the deposits by the elaboration of fibrous, atubular dentin on to the outside of this wall.