histological assessment of pulpal responses to resin modifi ed glass ionomer cements in human teeth

background: the biocompatibility of resin-modifi ed glass ionomers (rmgis) as a lining material is still under question. the present study evaluated the response of the pulp-dentin complex following application of resin-modifi ed glass-ionomer cement, calcium hydroxide and conventional glass-ionomer in deep cavities prepared in human teeth. materials and methods: in this controlled clinical trial, 30 deep class v buccal cavities (3 mm × 2 mm × 2 mm) were prepared in human premolars treatment planned to be extracted for orthodontic reasons and divided into 3 groups. groups were lined by a rmgi (vivaglass), conventional glass ionomer (ionocid) and calcium hydroxide respectively. the cavities were subsequently fi lled with amalgam. each group was then divided into two sub-groups according to time intervals 5 and 30 days. the patients were referred to kerman dental school and in accordance with orthodontic treatment plan; premolars were extracted and then prepared for histological assessment. the sections were stained with hematoxylin and eosin and periodic acid schiff techniques. all of the samples were examined using a number of criteria including odontoblastic changes, infl ammatory cells response, reactionary dentin formation and presence of microorganisms. the data were analyzed by kruskal-wallis and mann-whitney tests. p < 0.05 was considered as signifi cant. results: there was no signifi cant difference among odontoblastic changes, reactionary dentin, presence of bacteria and infl ammatory cells response of the groups ( p > 0.05). conclusion: ionocid and vivaglass resin-modifi ed glass ionomers can be used as lining materials in human teeth. key words: biocompatibility, calcium hydroxide, glass ionomer, pulp response, tertiary dentin