Cleanliness and Apical Extrusion Assessment of the EndoVac Irrigation System

Abstract

Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Endovac irrigation system regarding 1) debris removal and 2) the control of apically extruded irrigating solution. Materials and Methods: Fifty extracted human single-rooted teeth were used in this study. Teeth were then randomly divided into three experimental groups according to the type of irrigation technique used and one control group. In group 1 (n=15), irrigation was performed with Endovac irrigation system. In group 2 (n=15), irrigation was performed with a 30 gauge tip-vented irrigation needle. In group 3 (n=15), irrigation was performed with a 30 gauge side-vented irrigation needle. The control group (n=5) received instrumentation with no irrigation serving as controls for the cleaning efficiency. Root canal instrumentation was performed by using the Profile NiTi rotary system in a crown-down technique. All experimental teeth were irrigated with the same amount of 5.25% sodium hypochlorite. The amount of extruded irrigating solution was then measured by subtracting the post-instrumentation weight from the pre-instrumentation weight using the electronic balance (Precisa 180A- Swiss made). The cleanliness of debris removal was evaluated using the scanning electron microscopy. Results: Extrusion results showed that the group that resulted in more irrigation extrusion was as follows from highest to lowest: tip-vented > side-vented > Endovac. The difference between all the groups is highly significant (P = 0.000 < 0.05). As for the cleaning results, debris collection in the both the EndoVac and tip-vented groups was least in the apical third. In both the control and the side-vented groups, debris was most in the apical third. But this difference was not significant between the three experimental groups. Conclusion: In conclusion, the EndoVac irrigation system extruded significantly less irrigant solution than both the needle irrigation systems. Debris collection was least in the apical third regarding the EndoVac irrigation system. No significant difference was found in the cleaning efficiency between the three irrigation systems used.