Efficacy of different irrigation techniques in removal of N-acetyl cysteine as an intracanal medicament- An study

Abstract

Intra canalmedicament must be completely removed from the pulp space for better penetration of sealers. Various methods of irrigant delivery are used for removal of medicament from root canals. Removal of N-acetyl cysteine when used as an intracanal medicament hasn't been studied yet.To compare efficacy of different irrigation techniques, ultrasonic, sonic, navi tips, side vented needles in removal of N-acetyl cysteine as an intracanal medicament- an study Fifty-two maxillary anterior teeth were decoronated and standardized to a root length of 13 mm. Root canals were prepared with Protaper Universal rotary system. N-acetyl cysteine paste was placed in root canals with lentulospiral and kept in an incubator for 7 days. Then four groups (n=13) were established according to the removal technique- Group 1- Passive ultrasonic irrigation, Group 2- Sonic irrigation, Group 3- Manual irrigation with NaviTip, Group 4- Manual irrigation with side vented needles. Each tip was placed 2 mm short of working length and irrigation was done using 5.25% sodium hypochlorite. Final irrigation was done, then roots were split buccolingually and evaluated for residual medicament under stereomicroscope at 24x magnification. Done using Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests (P ≤ 0.05). In coronal and middle third, there was significant difference in removal of medicament by Group 1- Passive ultrasonic irrigation compared to other techniques, whereas, in apical third Group 2- Sonic irrigation showed better result. Group 3-Manual irrigation with NaviTip and Group 4- Manual irrigation with side- vented needles was significantly less effective than other techniques.Use of irrigants with activation devices like ultrasonic and sonic revealed improved removal of N- acetyl cysteine intracanal medicament.