The importance of surface tension in endodontic irrigation: A review study

Abstract

The surface tension of irrigants determines their ability to penetrate dentinal tubules and access the apical third of root canals. It is defined as an affinity for a liquid's surface area to decline in the case of surface tension between molecules. Irrigating the canal wall is vital for dissolving organic tissues and disinfecting dentin and its tubules in root canal preparation. Even with super elastic rotary preparation, untouched spaces are a typical issue during root canal instrumentation. As a result, the antimicrobial activity and solvent action in these areas is essential to the disinfection of root canals. The ability to diagnose irrigants quickly and treat them successfully depends on a thorough discernment of their surface tension. In this study, surface tension involved in endodontic solutions was examined for etiological factors, features, and possible consequences. The relevant studies were found by searching online databases. We identified 30 articles using the hand search method and summarized the critical factors of each study. It was found that low surface tension agents would penetrate tubules more acceptable and that surface tensions estimated at various temperatures and concentrations affected canal cleaning.