Comparative evaluation of efficacy of different irrigation devices in removal of calcium hydroxide in teeth with simulated internal resorption cavities – An in vitro study

Aim: The aim of this in vitro study was to compare the efficacy of newly developed irrigation systems, i.e., XP-endo Finisher file (XP-endo), EndoActivator (EA), and Endo-Irrigator Plus (EI) with gold standard passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI) tip and in removal of calcium hydroxide (CH) from single-rooted teeth with artificial simulated internal resorption cavities.
Materials and Methods: One hundred and twenty single-rooted mandibular premolars were decoronated and prepared using the ProTaper Gold system up to F5. Samples were buccolingually sectioned and resorption cavities were prepared. Twenty specimens were served as Group 1 – negative control. In the remaining specimens, CH was delivered and root halves were brought together. Twenty specimens were served as Group 2 – positive control. The remaining specimens were randomly divided into four experimental groups (n = 20), where NaOCl and EDTA were activated using PUI, XP-endo, EA, and EI for 1 min. The remnants of CH were scored and analyzed by employing Kruskal–Wallis H- and Mann–Whitney U-tests.
Results: PUI and XP-endo removed more CH than other devices (P < 0.05), showing no significant difference between them.
Conclusion: None of the tested systems were able to remove CH completely from resorption cavities. PUI and XP-endo were superior to other tested devices.