Method of microbial decontamination of endodontic absorbent paper points: a randomised experimental study

Abstract

Relevance. One of the challenges in endodontic treatment is preventing the presence or introduction of pathogenic flora into the root canal. Modern treatment protocols aim to maintain aseptic conditions throughout all stages of treatment. Before the final sealing of the root canal, it is dried using endodontic paper points (absorbers). Using previously opened packages of absorbers can pose a risk of contamination by environmental microorganisms.Purpose. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of microbial decontamination of endodontic absorbent paper points using various ultraviolet (UV) irradiation treatments.Materials and methods. The study used standard endodontic absorbent paper points, manufactured by compressing paper into cone shapes of various sizes, designed to remove residual moisture from the root canal. The experiment was conducted at the subdivisions of KubSMU of the Ministry of Health of Russia. During the study, absorbers were placed in a bactericidal UV chamber for 1, 3, and 7 days according to the study design. Subsequently, the paper points were immersed in nutrient media and incubated. Results were recorded daily by visually checking for signs of microbial growth (turbidity, sediment, flakes, and other changes in the media). Decontamination was considered complete in the absence of microbial growth in all test tubes. The comparison of the number of positive results was performed using the analysis of four-field contingency tables (comparison of percentage shares in two groups) using the Chi-square test with Yates' correction for independent groups and the McNemar test for dependent groups using Statistica 8.0 software (StatSoft, USA).Results. Analysis of the results from culturing the test samples in nutrient media confirms the safe use of endodontic absorbent paper points immediately after opening the commercial package. In the model used, microbial growth was observed in 22.2% of cases on various media. No positive results for bacterial or fungal contamination were found in samples after treatment. Comparison of the proportion of positive contamination results showed a statistically significant difference according to the McNemar test (p = 0.027). Similarly, a statistically significant difference in the proportions of positive contamination results was observed when comparing with the control group using the Chi-square test with Yates' correction for independent samples (p = 0.009).Conclusion. The study demonstrated that using a UV chamber for storing and decontaminating endodontic absorbent paper points is effective after just one day, significantly reducing the risk of microbial complications in endodontic treatment.