After 18 - 24 months , in terms of treatment failure , the odds ratio for calcium hydroxide vs. formocresol was 1.94 [ 95 % credible interval ( CI ) : 1.11 , 3.25 ] ; 3.38 ( 95 % CI : 1.37 , 8.61 ) for lasers vs. formocresol ; 2.16 ( 95 % CI : 1.12 , 4.31 ) for calcium hydroxide vs. ferric sulfate ; 3.73 ( 95 % CI : 1.27 , 11.67 ) for lasers vs. ferric sulfate ; 0.47 ( 95 % CI : 0.26 , 0.83 ) for MTA vs. calcium hydroxide ; 3.76 ( 95 % CI : 1.39 , 10.08 ) for lasers vs. MTA CONCLUSIONS After 18 - 24 months , formocresol , ferric sulfate , and MTA showed significantly better clinical and radiographic outcomes than calcium hydroxide and laser therapies in primary molar pulpotomies .
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The network meta-analyses showed that MTA is the first choice for primary molar pulpotomies .
However , if treatment cost is an issue , especially when the treated primary molars are going to be replaced by permanent teeth , ferric sulfate may be the choice
OBJECTIVE Pulpotomy is a common procedure to treat asymptomatic reversible pulpitis in primary molars .
The aim of this study is to undertake a systematic review and a network meta- analysis to compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of different pulpotomy procedures in primary molars .
Combination of direct and indirect evidence in mixed treatment comparisons.
Mixed treatment comparison ( MTC ) meta- analysis is a generalization of st and ard pairwise meta- analysis for A vs B trials , to data structures that include , for example , A vs B , B vs C , and A vs C trials . There are two roles for MTC : one is to strengthen inference concerning the relative efficacy of two treatments , by including both ' direct ' and ' indirect ' comparisons . The other is to facilitate simultaneous inference regarding all treatments , in order for example to select the best treatment . In this paper , we present a range of Bayesian hierarchical models using the Markov chain Monte Carlo software WinBUGS . These are multivariate r and om effects models that allow for variation in true treatment effects across trials . We consider models where the between-trials variance is homogeneous across treatment comparisons as well as heterogeneous variance models . We also compare models with fixed ( unconstrained ) baseline study effects with models with r and om baselines drawn from a common distribution . These models are applied to an illustrative data set and posterior parameter distributions are compared . We discuss model critique and model selection , illustrating the role of Bayesian deviance analysis , and node-based model criticism . The assumptions underlying the MTC models and their parameterization are also discussed
After 18 - 24 months , in terms of treatment failure , the odds ratio for calcium hydroxide vs. formocresol was 1.94 [ 95 % credible interval ( CI ) : 1.11 , 3.25 ] ; 3.38 ( 95 % CI : 1.37 , 8.61 ) for lasers vs. formocresol ; 2.16 ( 95 % CI : 1.12 , 4.31 ) for calcium hydroxide vs. ferric sulfate ; 3.73 ( 95 % CI : 1.27 , 11.67 ) for lasers vs. ferric sulfate ; 0.47 ( 95 % CI : 0.26 , 0.83 ) for MTA vs. calcium hydroxide ; 3.76 ( 95 % CI : 1.39 , 10.08 ) for lasers vs. MTA CONCLUSIONS After 18 - 24 months , formocresol , ferric sulfate , and MTA showed significantly better clinical and radiographic outcomes than calcium hydroxide and laser therapies in primary molar pulpotomies .
CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE The network meta-analyses showed that MTA is the first choice for primary molar pulpotomies .
However , if treatment cost is an issue , especially when the treated primary molars are going to be replaced by permanent teeth , ferric sulfate may be the choice
OBJECTIVE Pulpotomy is a common procedure to treat asymptomatic reversible pulpitis in primary molars .
The aim of this study is to undertake a systematic review and a network meta- analysis to compare the clinical and radiographic outcomes of different pulpotomy procedures in primary molars .