Dentinal tubule penetration and root canal cleanliness following ultrasonic activation of intracanal-heated sodium hypochlorite

This study investigated the effect of ultrasonic activation of intracanal-heated sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) on its dentinal tubular penetration and root canal cleanliness in vitro. In experiment 1, mandibular premolars were randomly allocated to three groups (n = 8): group A, ultrasonic activation; group B, ultrasonic activation of intracanal-heated NaOCl and group C, syringe-and-needle irrigation. Penetration of the fluorescent-labelled NaOCl was investigated using light microscopy. In experiment 2, mandibular premolars were randomly allocated to group B or C (n = 10), for histological analysis of the remaining pulp tissue and debris. Data were statistically analysed using Kruskal–Wallis and Mann–Whitney tests (P = 0.05). The highest penetration of NaOCl was observed in group B, followed by group A (P < 0.05). Group B showed significantly less amount of debris than group C (P < 0.05). Dentinal tubule penetration of NaOCl and root canal cleanliness were significantly improved by ultrasonic activation of intracanal-heated NaOCl.