Do you ever use formocresol as an intracanal medicament for Endo?

[Mauricio45]

I know formocresol has a bad rap these days but it has been used for many years in dentistry as it is extremely effective in getting patient out of pain. Like stamping on a bug. Plus, it's way more easier to apply than CaOH. Are there actual studies that show it is a carcinogen when used in root canal or dentistry?

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[TanMan]

It's pretty effective in getting them out of pain, but that's a good and bad thing at the same time. The problem with 2 visit endodontics is that when the patient is out of pain, you may not see them for awhile until the tooth blows up with severe pain. I've seen plenty of patients who got a formo pulpotomy and were referred to the endodontist... they never went because it didn't hurt until sometime later. I believe it was a carcinogen in animal models and people were concerned about systemic distribution after a pulpal therapy with formo, however, it isn't as taboo as N2/sargenti paste. I figure if they haven't all but banned the substance like N2/Sargenti paste, it is probably not as bad.

 

[endoaccess]

It smells terrible. Enough that I won’t touch the stuff. It will make your whole office smell like an anatomy lab if you spill one drop.

 

[TanMan]

How can you not love the smell of formo... that's what I call classic dentist's office smell. Depending on how strong your AC/ventilation units are, smell clears up fast.

 

[OhioDMD]

Try using camphorated parachlorophenol, another ancient intracanal medicament.