A comparison between two negative pressure irrigation techniques in simulated immature tooth: an ex vivo study

Outcome of nonsurgical management of large cyst-like periapical lesions using a modified apical negative pressure irrigation system: a case series study

OBJECTIVE

To assess the effectiveness of a self-constructed modified apical negative pressure irrigation (ANPI) system employing commonly used clinical instruments in nonsurgical root canal therapy (NSRCT) for large cyst-like periapical lesions (LCPLs).

METHODS

From 2017 to 2022, 35 patients diagnosed with LCPLs (5-15 mm) via preoperative clinical and radiographic evaluations of endodontic origin underwent NSRCT combined with ANPI. These patients were subjected to postoperative clinical and radiographic follow-up at 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years, 3 years, and 4 years, with a CBCT scan specifically conducted at 6-month follow-up. Through the reconstruction of three-dimensional cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) data, an early prognosis was facilitated by monitoring changes in lesion volume. Various treatment predictors-including sex, type of treatment, lesion size, preoperative pain, jaw, type of teeth involved, sealer extrusion, and the number of root canals-were meticulously analyzed. The evaluation of post-treatment outcomes leveraged both clinical observations and radiographic data collected during the follow-up periods. The Kruskal‒Wallis test and one-way ANOVA were also conducted to determine the independent factors influencing treatment outcomes. A significance level of 5% was established.

RESULTS

Thirty-five teeth from 35 patients with a median age of 28 years (range 24-34) were treated; the median follow-up duration was 19 months (range 12-26). The overall success rate was 91.4%, with a median lesion reduction of 77.0% (range 54.2-96.4%) at 6 months. Patients under 30 years of age exhibited a significantly greater success rate than older patients did (100.0% vs. 80.0%, p = 0.037). Other factors, such as sex, jaw, treatment type, preoperative pain, cyst size, tooth location, sealer extrusion, and the number of roots, did not significantly impact treatment outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite limitations related to the observational case-series study design and relatively small sample size, our findings suggest that utilizing the ANPI in the NSRCT for LCPLs may hold promise. The notably higher success rate in patients younger than 30 years is worth noting.

Comparison of apical extrusion of sodium hypochlorite in immature teeth after needle irrigation, ultrasonic irrigation, EDDY, Er:YAG, and diode lasers

This study aimed to assess the apical extrusion of sodium hypochlorite in immature teeth caused by needle irrigation, ultrasonic irrigation, EDDY, Er:YAG, and diode lasers. Seventy-five human maxillary anterior teeth were selected. After the apical 3 mm of the roots was resected, the canal lumen was enlarged with #2 to #5 Gates-Glidden burs. The teeth were fixed to the lid of a flat-sided clear plastic container, and the plastic containers were filled with 0.2% agarose gel containing 1 mL of 0.1% m-cresol purple. Then, the specimens were allocated into five groups according to the irrigation activation techniques: needle irrigation, ultrasonic irrigation, EDDY, Er:YAG laser, and diode laser. The apical extrusion of sodium hypochlorite caused the color change in the gel. The containers were digitally photographed, and the percentage of pixels of irrigant extrusion (the color change) in each photograph was calculated. The diode laser group showed a significantly lower percentage of pixels than needle irrigation, EDDY, and Er:YAG laser (p < 0.05). The irrigant extrusion value of the ultrasonic irrigation group was significantly lower than that of the EDDY and Er:YAG laser groups (p < 0.05). There was no significant difference between the other groups (p > 0.05). All the groups caused irrigant extrusion in the immature teeth. The diode laser and ultrasonic irrigation caused less sodium hypochlorite extrusion than EDDY and Er:YAG laser. The needle irrigation showed more irrigant extrusion than the only diode laser group.

Vibrational and sonochemical characterization of ultrasonic endodontic activating devices for translation to clinical efficacy

Passive activation of endodontic irrigants provides improved canal disinfection, smear layer removal, and better subsequent sealing. Although evidence suggests that passive activating endodontic devices increase the effectiveness of irrigation, no study exists to quantitatively compare and validate vibrational characteristics and cavitation produced by different ultrasonic endodontic devices. The current study aims to compare the efficiency of various commercially available ultrasonic endodontic activating devices (i.e., EndoUltra™, EndoChuck, Irrisafe™, and PiezoFlow®). The passive endodontic activating devices were characterized in terms of tip displacement and cavitation performance using scanning laser vibrometry (SLV) and sonochemical analysis, respectively. The obtained results showed that activator tip displacements and speed correlate to established cavitation thresholds. The EndoUltra™ tip speed was measured to be 14.5 and 28.1 m/s at 45 and 91 kHz, respectively, which is greater than the threshold. The EndoUltra™ was found to be the only device that exceeds the cavitation thresholds (i.e. tip speed and displacement), as evident from laser vibrometry analysis, and subsequently yielded measurable cavitation quantified via sonochemical analysis. All other passive endodontic activation devices, despite ultrasonic oscillation, were unable to produce cavitation.

Apically Extruded Debris Using Passive Ultrasonic Irrigation Associated with Different Root Canal Irrigants

Abstract The present study evaluated the amount of apically extruded debris after chemo-mechanical preparation (CMP) associated with passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI) using four different root canal irrigants, namely, 6% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), 2% chlorhexidine gel + saline solution (2% CHXg+SS), 2% chlorhexidine solution (2% CHXs) and SS alone. Sixty mandibular premolars with single straight root canals were selected and randomly assigned into 4 groups (n=15) according to the root canal irrigant used as follows: G1 (PUI + NaOCl), G2 (PUI + CHXg+SS), G3 (PUI+CHXs) and G4 (PUI+SS). Reciproc® R25 files (25/.08) were used during CMP and the debris extruded from each tooth were collected in pre-weighted Eppendorf tubes and dried. The average weight of debris was assessed by using an analytical microbalance. Data were statistically analysed by using ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey’s test (a=0.05). Debris extrusion was observed in all groups, irrespective of the root canal irrigating, with 2% CHXg + SS being associated with lower debris extrusion compared to other irrigants (p<0.05). No significant differences were observed between 6% NaOCl, 2% CHXs and SS. In conclusion, passive ultrasonic irrigation did not completely prevent apically extrusion of debris. PUI performed with 2% chlorhexidine gel + saline solution significantly minimized debris extrusion compared to 6% sodium hypochlorite, chlorhexidine solution and saline solution.

Evaluation of Apically Extruded Debris Using Positive and Negative Pressure Irrigation Systems in Association with Different Irrigants

This study evaluated the amount of apically extruded debris after chemo-mechanical preparation (CMP) using positive and negative pressure irrigation systems [Conventional irrigation (CI) and EndoVac (EV)] in association with different irrigants [6% Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCl), 2% Chlorhexidine gel + saline solution (CHXg + SS), 2% Chlorhexidine solution (CHXs) or Saline solution (SS)]. Eighty mandibular premolars with single root canals were selected and randomly assigned into 8 groups (n = 10) according to the irrigation system and the irrigant used during CMP: G1 (EV + NaOCl), G2 (EV + CHXg + SS), G3 (EV + CHXs), G4 (EV + SS), G5 (CI + NaOCl), G6 (CI + CHXg + SS), G7 (CI + CHXs) and G8 (CI + SS). Reciproc® R25 files (25/.08) were used during the CMP and the extruded debris from each tooth was collected in pre-weighted Eppendorf tubes and dried. The average weight of debris was assessed using a microbalance, and the data were statistically analyzed using ANOVA and the post hoc Tukey's test (a = 0.05). All groups were associated with debris extrusion. EV was the irrigation system with less extruded debris (p < 0.05). No differences were observed regarding the irrigant when EV was used. When CI was used, CHXg + SS were associated with lower debris extrusion (p < 0.05). It was concluded that no irrigation protocol succeeded in preventing debris extrusion. EV resulted in lower levels of debris extrusion than CI. The use of CHXg + SS resulted in lower debris extrusion.

Comparison of the Volume of Root Canal Irrigant Collected by 2 Negative Pressure Needles at Different Flow Rates of Delivery

INTRODUCTION

A greater irrigant volume improves the effectiveness of root canal irrigation. The purpose of this study was to compare 2 negative pressure systems regarding the volume of irrigant collected from the apical area in moderately curved canals at 3 different flow rates of delivery in vitro.

METHODS

The mesiobuccal canals of 30 molars with a curvature between 20° and 40° were prepared to size #40.04 taper. A closed system was created. The canals were irrigated at 3, 6, and 12 mL/min for 30 seconds using EndoVac (SybronEndo, Orange, CA) and the INP needle (Mixnus Fine Engineering Co Ltd, Nagano, Japan) (both independent variables). A recovery trap was used to collect the irrigant aspirated by the negative pressure needles. Irrigant volume (dependent variable) was measured in milliliters. Data were analyzed using mixed analysis of variance.

RESULTS

There was a statistically significant interaction between the negative pressure system and the irrigant volume collected (P < .0005). The mean irrigant volume collected by the different negative pressure systems was greater for INP at 3 (P < .001), 6 (P < .001), and 12 mL/min (P < .001) flow rate. Both negative pressure needles showed statistically significant differences (P < .001) between mean irrigant volume collected at different flow rates.

CONCLUSIONS

A greater volume was collected by increasing the flow rate of irrigant delivery for both EndoVac and INP. The INP needle could collect a greater volume of irrigant from the apical third compared with EndoVac at all 3 different flow rates.

Irrigation effectiveness of continuous ultrasonic irrigation system: An ex vivo study

This study evaluated the irrigation extrusion and smear layer (SL) removal of continuous ultrasonic irrigation (CUI). Forty root canals were shaped, embedded in warm sterile saline agar colored with 1% acid red, and distributed into four groups; three groups had the final irrigation sequence of sodium hypochlorite and EDTA solutions performed by using syringe irrigation (SI), EndoVac (EV), and CUI, respectively. Group 4 had the canals ultrasonically irrigated with saline (CUIS). Irrigant extrusion was verified by a color change of the agar. The SL was evaluated under scanning electron microscope. Irrigant extrusion was observed in two and four teeth in the CUI and SI, respectively, whilst none had irrigant extruded in the EV. In term of SL, the CUI was comparable to EV at 1 and 3 mm but different to SI at 1 mm. Although CUI might clean the root canal system effectively, it was unable to avoid irrigant extrusion.