Avaliação de diferentes técnicas de ativação da irrigação de canais radiculares na remoção da Smear Layer

Abstract

Removal of the smear layer is important in the decontamination of the root canal system, as it allows for better penetration of irrigating solutions into the dentinal tubules. In order to optimize cleaning in the isthmus, recesses and apical portion of the root canal, some devices and techniques have been developed to improve irrigation efficiency. The aim of this study was to analyze six different techniques for activation of final irrigation in terms of their ability to remove the smear layer. Sixty mandibular premolars with single canals were selected, had the canals instrumented by the Reciproc R40 (VDW) system and received a final irrigation of 3 ml of 17% EDTA for 3 minutes. Then, the teeth were paired and divided into six groups according to the final irrigation protocol (n=10): conventional irrigation (CI), manual activation (AM), ultrasonic irrigation (UI), Easy Clean plastic file (EC), XP Clean (XPC) and XP-endo Finisher (XPF). The smear layer removal capacity was evaluated in the cervical, middle and apical thirds by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The values of the scores assigned were compared between the six irrigation protocols used, applying the ANOVA test with a randomized block design, with a significance level of 5%. The results showed no significant differences between the values of the scores in the different protocols in the apical (p>0.05), medium (p>0.05) and cervical (p>0.05) thirds. In conclusion, it can be stated that the activation protocols used in this study during the final irrigation did not show benefits with regard to smear layer removal when compared to the conventional irrigation technique.