Comparative evaluation of a novel herbal formulation with commercially available synthetic solution in cleaning used endodontic instruments: An in vitro study

Abstract

The study aimed to compare the cleaning effectiveness of a novel herbal solution with commercially available cleaning solution in eliminating biological debris from the surfaces of used endodontic instruments.Thirty freshly extracted human single rooted premolars were decoronated to the standardized length. The root canals were prepared using rotary files till master apical size 35 (0.04 taper) and distilled water as irrigant. Used master apical files were assessed under scanning electron microscope (SEM) at 40x magnification at apical, middle and coronal third of working end independently for debris accumulation on the cutting surface of file and scored. All the specimens were randomly divided according to the group distribution as follows: Group 1: Synthetic cleaning solution, Group 2: Novel herbal cleaning solution. All files were immersed in the solution for five minutes according to the allocated groups and wiped using sterile gauze piece with one complete rotation covering all the flutes. Each used file was again examined under SEM at 40x at apical, middle and coronal third levels by an independent blinded evaluator and the residual debris were scored. The collected data were subjected to independent sample t test (p<0.05).Statistically significant difference was observed amongst the two groups at middle and apical third of endodontic files (p < 0.05), however, difference at coronal third level was insignificant (p > 0.05).The herbal solution effectively removed the clogged debris from endodontic files as compared to commercial formulation.