A review on common chemical hemostatic agents in restorative dentistry

Abstract

Control of hemorrhage is one of the challenging situations dentists confront during deep cavity
preparation and before impressions or cementation of restorations. For the best bond and least
contamination it is necessary to be familiar with the hemostatic agents available on the market
and to be able to choose the appropriate one for specifi c situations. This review tries to introduce
the commercially available hemostatic agents, discusses their components and their specifi c
features. The most common chemical agents that are widely used in restorative and prosthodontic
dentistry according to their components and mechanism of action as well as their special uses are
introduced. PubMed and Google Scholar were searched for studies involving gingival retraction and
hemostatic agents from 1970 to 2013. Key search words including: “gingival retraction techniques,
impression technique, hemostasis and astringent” were searched. Based on the information available
in the literature, in order to achieve better results with impression taking and using resin bonding
techniques, common hemostatic agents might be recommended before or during acid etching;
they should be rinsed off properly and it is recommended that they be used with etch-and-rinse
adhesive systems.
Key Words: Adhesive restorations, bleeding, hemostatic agents, restorative dentistry