Biological principles of endodontic treatment of teeth with vital pulp

Abstract

In daily endodontic practice, the clinician basically faces 3 conditions that require treatment: vital pulps, necrotic pulps and retreatment cases. Root canals of vital teeth are free of infection, which if present is restricted to the exposed portion of the coronal pulp. The success of the endodontic treatment will depend on the maintenance of the aseptic chain during intracanal procedures. This paper reviews the biologic principles of the endodontic treatment of vital teeth, with the purpose to provide the clinician with better conditions to improve the treatment outcome.