Clinical and radiological evaluation of zinc oxide-eugenol and Maisto's paste as obturating materials in infected primary teeth--nine months study.

The present study, performed in-vivo, included 30 infected primary teeth in 26 children in the age group of 3-8 years. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of two obturating materials, zinc oxide-eugenol and Maisto's paste, in infected primary teeth. 30 teeth were divided into two groups of 15 teeth. Teeth in Group I were obturated using zinc oxide-eugenol and those in Group II were obturated using Maisto's paste. On clinical evaluation, teeth obturated with Maisto's paste showed 100% success. Five teeth that were overfilled with Maisto's paste showed complete resorption of excess material within 3 months while the two teeth overfilled with zinc oxide-eugenol showed incomplete resorption of the excess material even after 9 months. Zinc oxide-eugenol treated cases showed only 26.7% bone regeneration while in case of Maisto's paste, it was 93%. Complete healing of the inter-radicular pathology was seen with Maisto's paste. However, the pathology was present in 40% of the zinc oxide-eugenol treated teeth even after 9 months. Maisto's paste was thus seen to be superior to zinc oxide-eugenol both in clinical as well as radiological evaluation, done over a period of 9 months in relation to bone regeneration, healing of inter-radicular pathology and resorption of excess material.