EFFICACY OF DIFFERENT IRRIGATING SOLUTIONS IN REMOVING THE INTRA CANAL MEDICAMENT FROM ROOT CANALS WITH AND WITHOUT ULTRASONIC ACTIVATION: AN IN VITRO STUDY

Abstract

Many irrigation solutions and irrigation devices and protocols  have been proposed for removal of CaOH2 dressing. The most frequently described method for removal of Ca(OH)2 from the root canal is instrumentation of the root canal with the master apical file in combination with copious irrigation of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and EDTA. The aim of this study was to evaluate the removal efficiency of a Ca(OH)2 by 5% sodium hypochlorite and 17% EDTA, Qmix and SmearClear with and without activation by ultrasonic U file. One hundred twenty premolars were prepared with ProTaper files under irrigation with 5% NaOCl, with a master apical file F3 in all samples. Then, the canals were filled with a pasted of CaOH2 (Calplus)and sealed with temporary filling. The length of each split root was photographed with a Nikon digital camera attached to a stereomicroscope. A modified scoring system was defined to assess the quantity of the residue on the canal walls. Evaluation scales used were: score 0 – no visible remnants, score 1– scattered remnants, score 2 – distinct masses, score 3 – densely\ packed remnants. Data was scored in table and mean percentage calculated. The differences between techniques were evaluated by Mann-Whitney U test. The level of significance was set at P< 0.05. None of the techniques used in this study removed the inter-appointment root canal medicaments effectively. The results indicate that PUI with NaOCl, QMix or SmearClear as irrigant was more effective in removal of Ca(OH)2 paste from canals than the irrigants alone.
Keywords: calcium hydfroxide,irrigation,Ultrasonic