Background: Endodontic therapy has been advocated since long time as a method for retaining those primary teeth which would otherwise be lost. Zinc oxide and eugenol (ZOE) paste was the first root canal filling material to be recommended for primary teeth, as described by Sweet in 1930. Another material being used is a premixed calcium hydroxide and iodoform paste (Vitapex) and is claimed to be a nearly ideal root canal filling material for primary teeth. Hence, we compared the effect of ZOE and Vitapex for carrying out endodontic therapy of necrotic primary teeth. Materials & methods: The present study was conducted in the paediatric dental wing and included assessment of 116 primary teeth with non-vital pulp tissue from 2013 to 2014. Complete clinical and radiographic assessment of the patients was done pre-operatively. In the ZOE group, a homogenous and thin mix of ZOE paste (without setting accelerators) was prepared and paper points covered with the material were used to coat the root canal walls. In the Vitapex group, the premixed paste was packaged in a syringe with a number of disposable tips.  All the results were analyzed by SPSS software. Results:  Number of cases presenting with pain were 105. 55 and 45 were the cases which presented with fistula and intra-oral swelling. In cases in which ZOE was used, 18.9 percent showed short fillings while in cases where Vitapex was used, 6.8 percent showed short fillings. Conclusion: In comparison with ZOE, Vitapex might offer successful results as a filling material following pulpectomy in primary non-vital teeth,
Key words: Endodontic, Vitapex, ZOE

Corresponding author: Shazia Shafat Shah, Pedodontist, Private practitioner
This article may be cited as: Shah SS. Assessment of zinc oxide eugenol and vitapex for endodontic therapy of non-vital primary teeth: a comparative study. Int J Res Health Allied Sci 2016;2(4):29-32.