Recent developments in bioactive pulp capping materials (direct and indirect)

The field of dentistry is rapidly shifting its focus toward biologically active restorative materials. Bioactive materials are those capable of inducing and promoting the regeneration of the damaged tissue and remineralizing demineralized dentinal structure as a vital dental pulp is necessary for the long-term healthy survival of a tooth. Vital pulp therapy intends to protect and prevail the vitality of pulp tissue which gets compromised when subjected to mutilating factors like dental caries, trauma, and operative or restorative procedures. During the therapy, the said bioactive material initially forms a non-irritant protective bridge over the vital pulp and later stimulates the pulpal odontoblasts to produce a reparative dentinal barrier which later forms a barrier and protects the underlying pulp’s vitality. The vitality of a tooth needs to be intact protected because the consensus reports that endodontically treated teeth, particularly molars, reportedly have a reduced survival probability than the vital teeth. 1 These factual arguments lead to the development of biologically active restorative materials. This review article intends to provide a review of the modern products introduced in the category of bioactive restorative materials.