487 - Efficacy of Indirect Pulp Therapy (IPT) in a Diverse Pediatric Patient Population

Purpose:
To examine differences in success rates of IPT followed by different types of restorations in a diverse pediatric population at high risk for caries.

Methods:
A review of patients seen at a community hospital from 2019-2022 was conducted. Outcomes of IPT followed by restorations including stainless steel crowns (SSC), glass ionomers (GI), and composite resin were compared. Success was defined as lack of significant clinical and radiographic findings at follow-up.

Results:
In a sample of 67 patients, the average age was 7 (range 3-13 years) and 73% were male. Forty-three percent were Hispanic, 27% South Asian, 13% African American, and 16% Other. Thirty-nine percent received SSC, 31% GI, and 30% composite resin. The overall success rate was 87%. Significant differences were found in success rates across treatment types (P = .03), with GI having nearly 30% lower success rate than other restorative modalities. A difference was observed in the average time to failure for GI (177 days) vs. SSC and composite resin (304 days). However, this difference was not significant (P = .30) possibly due to the low number of failures. No significant differences were found between sociodemographic and treatment types.
Conclusions
The lower success rate and difference in the average time to failure for GI warrant consideration. This result cannot be fully explained by sociodemographic differences but could be due to unexplainable variables such as behavioral considerations and selection of restorative material. Further research is needed to clarify these findings.