Endodontic Irrigation and Cell Adherence to Root Canal Dentin

Signature Grand, Davie, Florida, USA

Objective. The objective of this study was to measure and compare the effect of nine different endodontic irrigation and chelating treatments on dental pulp stem cell (DPSC) attachment to root canal surfaces. Background. It is not known how the use of irrigating solutions and chelating agents can affect DPSC adherence to the disinfected root canal surfaces when used to accomplish regenerative endodontic therapy. Methods. Thirty-eight extracted human non-diseased singlecanal teeth were cleaned and shaped using using ProTaper and ProFile rotary instrumentation in a crown-down manner to a F3 and Profile 40/06 (Dentsply Endodontics-Tulsa Dental, Tulsa, OK). The irrigation treatments investigated were: 6% Sodium hypochlorite [NaOCl] (Clorox, Oakland, CA), 2% Chlorhexidine gluconate [CHX] (Vista Dental Products, Racine, WI), Aquatine Endodontic Cleanser [AEC] (Sterilox Dental, Malvern, PA), and Morinda Citrifolia [MC] (Tahitian Noni International, Provo, UT). The irrigation treatments were used in conjunction with EDTA or MTAD (Dentsply Endodontics-Tulsa Dental, Tulsa, OK). The instrumented teeth were immediately placed in cell culture with confluent DPSCs for one week. Data was collected using scanning electron microscopy and analyzed by Chi-square statistical tests (p values). Results. We found that the use of chelating agents and the most biocompatible irrigants; AEC and MC were more successful at promoting DPSC survival and attachment to root canal surfaces compared to CHX and NaOCl (p < 0.0001). Conclusion. The results from this study suggest that biocompatible irrigants and chelating agents are needed to promote DPSC attachment to root canal surfaces. Grants. This research was sponsored by the AAEF and NSU.