Efficacy of a New Brush-Covered Irrigation Needle in Removing Root Canal Debris: A Scanning Electron Microscopic Study

Abstract

The usefulness of NaviTip FX, a brush-covered irrigation needle, in endodontic therapy has never been reported. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation was to evaluate the cleaning efficacy of this new brush-covered irrigation needle, the NaviTip FX. Thirty single-rooted teeth were randomly divided into two equal groups and instrumented using the crown-down technique with 0.04 taper ProFile. Following each file use, the canals were irrigated with 1 ml of 5.25% NaOCl using the NaviTip FX needle for group 1 or using the same needle without the brush for group 2. At the end of instrumentation, the roots were cut longitudinally and each half was divided into three equal parts. The specimens were then routinely prepared for scanning electron microscopic evaluation. The results showed that using the NaviTip FX produced cleaner coronal thirds of instrumented root canals compared to the control group. On the other hand, the middle and apical thirds were not statistically significantly different between the two groups. Further development of this irrigation technique to improve cleanliness of the apical and middle thirds is required before the NaviTip FX can be recommended for routine use during root canal therapy.