Restor Dent Endod.  2021 Feb;46(1):e10. 10.5395/rde.2021.46.e10.

Clinical efficacy of activated irrigation in endodontics: a focused review

Affiliations
  • 1Discipline of Endodontology, Division of Restorative Dental Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR

Abstract

Root canal debridement, which includes the removal of infected tissues and microbial biofilms, is considered the corner stone of root canal treatment. Chemical adjuncts play a multitude of functions in this regard, as tissue solvents, antimicrobial agents and for removing the smear layer. These adjuncts (irrigants) are usually delivered using a syringe and needle. With increasing knowledge of the complexity of root canal anatomy and tenacity of microbial biofilms, the need for strategies that potentiate the action of these irrigants within the root canal system cannot be overemphasized. Several such activated irrigation strategies exist. The aim of this review is to comprehensively discuss the different irrigant activation methods from the context of clinical studies.

Keyword

Sodium hypochlorite; Microbial reduction; Pain; Root canal treatment; Sonic; Ultrasonic

Figure

  • Figure 1 A flowchart of the article selection process.*Four studies investigated the effects on 2 outcome measures.


Reference

1. Haapasalo M, Shen Y, Qian W, Gao Y. Irrigation in endodontics. Dent Clin North Am. 2010; 54:291–312. PMID: 20433979.
Article
2. Byström A, Sundqvist G. The antibacterial action of sodium hypochlorite and EDTA in 60 cases of endodontic therapy. Int Endod J. 1985; 18:35–40. PMID: 3922900.
Article
3. Zehnder M. Root canal irrigants. J Endod. 2006; 32:389–398. PMID: 16631834.
Article
4. Neelakantan P, Cheng CQ, Mohanraj R, Sriraman P, Subbarao C, Sharma S. Antibiofilm activity of three irrigation protocols activated by ultrasonic, diode laser or Er:YAG laser in vitro . Int Endod J. 2015; 48:602–610. PMID: 25080240.
Article
5. Byström A, Sundqvist G. Bacteriologic evaluation of the efficacy of mechanical root canal instrumentation in endodontic therapy. Scand J Dent Res. 1981; 89:321–328. PMID: 6947391.
Article
6. Byström A, Sundqvist G. Bacteriologic evaluation of the effect of 0.5 percent sodium hypochlorite in endodontic therapy. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1983; 55:307–312. PMID: 6572884.
Article
7. Vertucci FJ. Root canal anatomy of the human permanent teeth. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1984; 58:589–599. PMID: 6595621.
Article
8. Gulabivala K, Aung TH, Alavi A, Ng YL. Root and canal morphology of Burmese mandibular molars. Int Endod J. 2001; 34:359–370. PMID: 11482719.
Article
9. Martins JNR, Marques D, Silva EJNL, Caramês J, Versiani MA. Prevalence studies on root canal anatomy using cone-beam computed tomographic imaging: a systematic review. J Endod. 2019; 45:372–386.e4. PMID: 30833097.
Article
10. Siqueira JF Jr, Pérez AR, Marceliano-Alves MF, Provenzano JC, Silva SG, Pires FR, Vieira GCS, Rôças IN, Alves FRF. What happens to unprepared root canal walls: a correlative analysis using micro-computed tomography and histology/scanning electron microscopy. Int Endod J. 2018; 51:501–508. PMID: 28196289.
Article
11. Ballal NV, Jain I, Tay FR. Evaluation of the smear layer removal and decalcification effect of QMix, maleic acid and EDTA on root canal dentine. J Dent. 2016; 51:62–68. PMID: 27287285.
Article
12. Machado R, Garcia LDFR, da Silva Neto UX, Cruz Filho AMD, Silva RG, Vansan LP. Evaluation of 17% EDTA and 10% citric acid in smear layer removal and tubular dentin sealer penetration. Microsc Res Tech. 2018; 81:275–282. PMID: 29205666.
Article
13. Kakehashi S, Stanley HR, Fitzgerald RJ. The effects of surgical exposures of dental pulps in germ-free and conventional laboratory rats. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1965; 20:340–349. PMID: 14342926.
Article
14. Möller AJ, Fabricius L, Dahlén G, Ohman AE, Heyden G. Influence on periapical tissues of indigenous oral bacteria and necrotic pulp tissue in monkeys. Scand J Dent Res. 1981; 89:475–484. PMID: 6951246.
Article
15. Sundqvist G. Bacteriological studies of necrotic dental pulps [dissertation]. Umeå, Sweden: Umeå University;1976.
16. Neelakantan P, Romero M, Vera J, Daood U, Khan AU, Yan A, Cheung GSP. Biofilms in endodontics-current status and future directions. Int J Mol Sci. 2017; 18:1748.
Article
17. Ali IAA, Cheung BPK, Yau JYY, Matinlinna JP, Lévesque CM, Belibasakis GN, Neelakantan P. The influence of substrate surface conditioning and biofilm age on the composition of Enterococcus faecalis biofilms. Int Endod J. 2020; 53:53–61. PMID: 31408199.
Article
18. Ramirez T, Shrestha A, Kishen A. Inflammatory potential of monospecies biofilm matrix components. Int Endod J. 2019; 52:1020–1027. PMID: 30719720.
Article
19. Tay FR, Gu LS, Schoeffel GJ, Wimmer C, Susin L, Zhang K, Arun SN, Kim J, Looney SW, Pashley DH. Effect of vapor lock on root canal debridement by using a side-vented needle for positive-pressure irrigant delivery. J Endod. 2010; 36:745–750. PMID: 20307757.
Article
20. Vera J, Arias A, Romero M. Dynamic movement of intracanal gas bubbles during cleaning and shaping procedures: the effect of maintaining apical patency on their presence in the middle and cervical thirds of human root canals-an in vivo study. J Endod. 2012; 38:200–203. PMID: 22244636.
Article
21. Peters OA, Schönenberger K, Laib A. Effects of four Ni-Ti preparation techniques on root canal geometry assessed by micro computed tomography. Int Endod J. 2001; 34:221–230. PMID: 12193268.
Article
22. Wu MK, Wesselink PR. A primary observation on the preparation and obturation of oval canals. Int Endod J. 2001; 34:137–141. PMID: 11307262.
Article
23. Gu LS, Kim JR, Ling J, Choi KK, Pashley DH, Tay FR. Review of contemporary irrigant agitation techniques and devices. J Endod. 2009; 35:791–804. PMID: 19482174.
Article
24. Neelakantan P, Devaraj S, Jagannathan N. Histologic assessment of debridement of the root canal isthmus of mandibular molars by irrigant activation techniques ex vivo . J Endod. 2016; 42:1268–1272. PMID: 27339632.
Article
25. Dioguardi M, Di Gioia G, Illuzzi G, Ciavarella D, Laneve E, Troiano G, Lo Muzio L. Passive ultrasonic irrigation efficacy in the vapor lock removal: systematic review and meta-analysis. Sci World J. 2019; 2019:6765349.
Article
26. Machtou P. Irrigation investigation in endodontics [master's thesis]. Paris, France: Paris VII University;1980.
27. McGill S, Gulabivala K, Mordan N, Ng YL. The efficacy of dynamic irrigation using a commercially available system (RinsEndo) determined by removal of a collagen ‘bio-molecular film’ from an ex vivo model. Int Endod J. 2008; 41:602–608. PMID: 18479371.
Article
28. Al-Ali M, Sathorn C, Parashos P. Root canal debridement efficacy of different final irrigation protocols. Int Endod J. 2012; 45:898–906. PMID: 22486845.
Article
29. Siqueira JF Jr, Alves FR, Almeida BM, de Oliveira JC, Rôças IN. Ability of chemomechanical preparation with either rotary instruments or self-adjusting file to disinfect oval-shaped root canals. J Endod. 2010; 36:1860–1865. PMID: 20951301.
Article
30. Martin H. Ultrasonic disinfection of the root canal. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1976; 42:92–99. PMID: 821029.
Article
31. van der Sluis LW, Versluis M, Wu MK, Wesselink PR. Passive ultrasonic irrigation of the root canal: a review of the literature. Int Endod J. 2007; 40:415–426. PMID: 17442017.
Article
32. Ahmad M, Pitt Ford TJ, Crum LA. Ultrasonic debridement of root canals: acoustic streaming and its possible role. J Endod. 1987; 13:490–499. PMID: 3482226.
Article
33. Ahmad M, Pitt Ford TR, Crum LA, Walton AJ. Ultrasonic debridement of root canals: acoustic cavitation and its relevance. J Endod. 1988; 14:486–493. PMID: 3255774.
Article
34. Căpută PE, Retsas A, Kuijk L, Chávez de Paz LE, Boutsioukis C. Ultrasonic irrigant activation during root canal treatment: a systematic review. J Endod. 2019; 45:31–44.e13. PMID: 30558797.
Article
35. Molina B, Glickman G, Vandrangi P, Khakpour M. Evaluation of root canal debridement of human molars using the GentleWave System. J Endod. 2015; 41:1701–1705. PMID: 26275599.
Article
36. Haapasalo M, Shen Y, Wang Z, Park E, Curtis A, Patel P, Vandrangi P. Apical pressure created during irrigation with the GentleWave™ system compared to conventional syringe irrigation. Clin Oral Investig. 2016; 20:1525–1534.
Article
37. Ali IAA, Neelakantan P. Light activated disinfection in root canal treatment- a focused review. Dent J (Basel). 2018; 6:31.
38. Charara K, Friedman S, Sherman A, Kishen A, Malkhassian G, Khakpour M, Basrani B. Assessment of apical extrusion during root canal irrigation with the novel GentleWave system in a simulated apical environment. J Endod. 2016; 42:135–139. PMID: 26547720.
Article
39. Versiani MA, Alves FR, Andrade-Junior CV, Marceliano-Alves MF, Provenzano JC, Rôças IN, Sousa-Neto MD, Siqueira JF Jr. Micro-CT evaluation of the efficacy of hard-tissue removal from the root canal and isthmus area by positive and negative pressure irrigation systems. Int Endod J. 2016; 49:1079–1087. PMID: 26459183.
Article
40. Romualdo PC, de Oliveira KMH, Nemezio MA, Küchler EC, Silva RAB, Nelson-Filho P, Silva LAB. Does apical negative pressure prevent the apical extrusion of debris and irrigant compared with conventional irrigation? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Aust Endod J. 2017; 43:129–137. PMID: 28150896.
Article
41. Ørstavik D, Kerekes K, Eriksen HM. The periapical index: a scoring system for radiographic assessment of apical periodontitis. Endod Dent Traumatol. 1986; 2:20–34. PMID: 3457698.
Article
42. Estrela C, Bueno MR, Azevedo BC, Azevedo JR, Pécora JD. A new periapical index based on cone beam computed tomography. J Endod. 2008; 34:1325–1331. PMID: 18928840.
Article
43. Liang YH, Jiang LM, Jiang L, Chen XB, Liu YY, Tian FC, Bao XD, Gao XJ, Versluis M, Wu MK, van der Sluis L. Radiographic healing after a root canal treatment performed in single-rooted teeth with and without ultrasonic activation of the irrigant: a randomized controlled trial. J Endod. 2013; 39:1218–1225. PMID: 24041381.
Article
44. Tang Z, Wang H, Jiang S. Clinical study of single-visit root canal treatment with a nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) rotary instrument combined with different ultrasonic irrigation solutions for elderly patients with chronic apical periodontitis. Biomed Mater Eng. 2015; 26(Supplement 1):S311–S318. PMID: 26406018.
Article
45. Cohenca N, Romualdo PC, da Silva LA, da Silva RA, de Queiroz AM, De Rossi A, Nelson-Filho P. Tissue response to root canal irrigation systems in dogs' teeth with apical periodontitis. Clin Oral Investig. 2015; 19:1147–1156.
Article
46. Jesus SF, Cohenca N, Romualdo PC, Nelson-Filho P, Queiroz AM, Sousa-Neto MD, Paula-Silva FWG, Silva LABD. Radiographic and immunohistochemical evaluation of root canal treatment using different irrigation systems. Braz Dent J. 2019; 30:123–132. PMID: 30970054.
Article
47. Sigurdsson A, Le KT, Woo SM, Rassoulian SA, McLachlan K, Abbassi F, Garland RW. Six-month healing success rates after endodontic treatment using the novel GentleWave™ system: the pure prospective multi-center clinical study. J Clin Exp Dent. 2016; 8:e290–e298. PMID: 27398180.
Article
48. Sigurdsson A, Garland RW, Le KT, Woo SM. 12-month healing rates after endodontic therapy using the novel GentleWave system: a prospective multicenter clinical study. J Endod. 2016; 42:1040–1048. PMID: 27325455.
Article
49. Sigurdsson A, Garland RW, Le KT, Rassoulian SA. Healing of periapical lesions after endodontic treatment with the GentleWave procedure: a prospective multicenter clinical study. J Endod. 2018; 44:510–517. PMID: 29336878.
Article
50. Martins MR, Carvalho MF, Vaz IP, Capelas JA, Martins MA, Gutknecht N. Efficacy of Er,Cr:YSGG laser with endodontical radial firing tips on the outcome of endodontic treatment: blind randomized controlled clinical trial with six-month evaluation. Lasers Med Sci. 2013; 28:1049–1055. PMID: 22869158.
Article
51. Siqueira JF Jr, Rôças IN, Ricucci D, Hülsmann M. Causes and management of post-treatment apical periodontitis. Br Dent J. 2014; 216:305–312. PMID: 24651336.
Article
52. Swimberghe RCD, Coenye T, De Moor RJG, Meire MA. Biofilm model systems for root canal disinfection: a literature review. Int Endod J. 2019; 52:604–628. PMID: 30488449.
Article
53. Huffaker SK, Safavi K, Spangberg LS, Kaufman B. Influence of a passive sonic irrigation system on the elimination of bacteria from root canal systems: a clinical study. J Endod. 2010; 36:1315–1318. PMID: 20647087.
Article
54. Rico-Romano C, Zubizarreta-Macho Á, Baquero-Artigao MR, Mena-Álvarez J. An analysis in vivo of intracanal bacterial load before and after chemo-mechanical preparation: a comparative analysis of two irrigants and two activation techniques. J Clin Exp Dent. 2016; 8:e9–e13. PMID: 26855714.
55. Beus C, Safavi K, Stratton J, Kaufman B. Comparison of the effect of two endodontic irrigation protocols on the elimination of bacteria from root canal system: a prospective, randomized clinical trial. J Endod. 2012; 38:1479–1483. PMID: 23063221.
Article
56. Cohenca N, Silva LA, Silva RA, Nelson-Filho P, Heilborn C, Watanabe E, Saraiva MC. Microbiological evaluation of different irrigation protocols on root canal disinfection in teeth with apical periodontitis: an in vivo study. Braz Dent J. 2013; 24:467–473. PMID: 24474286.
Article
57. Nakamura VC, Pinheiro ET, Prado LC, Silveira AC, Carvalho APL, Mayer MPA, Gavini G. Effect of ultrasonic activation on the reduction of bacteria and endotoxins in root canals: a randomized clinical trial. Int Endod J. 2018; 51(Supplement 1):e12–e22. PMID: 28439928.
Article
58. Shen Y, Stojicic S, Haapasalo M. Bacterial viability in starved and revitalized biofilms: comparison of viability staining and direct culture. J Endod. 2010; 36:1820–1823. PMID: 20951294.
Article
59. Carver K, Nusstein J, Reader A, Beck M. In vivo antibacterial efficacy of ultrasound after hand and rotary instrumentation in human mandibular molars. J Endod. 2007; 33:1038–1043. PMID: 17931928.
Article
60. Paiva SS, Siqueira JF Jr, Rôças IN, Carmo FL, Leite DC, Ferreira DC, Rachid CT, Rosado AS. Molecular microbiological evaluation of passive ultrasonic activation as a supplementary disinfecting step: a clinical study. J Endod. 2013; 39:190–194. PMID: 23321229.
Article
61. Paiva SS, Siqueira JF Jr, Rôças IN, Carmo FL, Ferreira DC, Curvelo JAR, Soares RMA, Rosado AS. Supplementing the antimicrobial effects of chemomechanical debridement with either passive ultrasonic irrigation or a final rinse with chlorhexidine: a clinical study. J Endod. 2012; 38:1202–1206. PMID: 22892736.
Article
62. Burleson A, Nusstein J, Reader A, Beck M. The in vivo evaluation of hand/rotary/ultrasound instrumentation in necrotic, human mandibular molars. J Endod. 2007; 33:782–787. PMID: 17804312.
Article
63. Gutarts R, Nusstein J, Reader A, Beck M. In vivo debridement efficacy of ultrasonic irrigation following hand-rotary instrumentation in human mandibular molars. J Endod. 2005; 31:166–170. PMID: 15735461.
Article
64. Pawar R, Alqaied A, Safavi K, Boyko J, Kaufman B. Influence of an apical negative pressure irrigation system on bacterial elimination during endodontic therapy: a prospective randomized clinical study. J Endod. 2012; 38:1177–1181. PMID: 22892731.
Article
65. Cohenca N, Heilborn C, Johnson JD, Flores DS, Ito IY, da Silva LA. Apical negative pressure irrigation versus conventional irrigation plus triantibiotic intracanal dressing on root canal disinfection in dog teeth. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2010; 109:e42–e46. PMID: 20123368.
Article
66. Granevik Lindström M, Wolf E, Fransson H. The antibacterial effect of Nd:YAG laser treatment of teeth with apical periodontitis: a randomized controlled trial. J Endod. 2017; 43:857–863. PMID: 28389075.
Article
67. Pourhajibagher M, Ghorbanzadeh R, Parker S, Chiniforush N, Bahador A. The evaluation of cultivable microbiota profile in patients with secondary endodontic infection before and after photo-activated disinfection. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2017; 18:198–203. PMID: 28249746.
Article
68. Pourhajibagher M, Raoofian R, Ghorbanzadeh R, Bahador A. An experimental study for rapid detection and quantification of endodontic microbiota following photo-activated disinfection via new multiplex real-time PCR assay. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2018; 21:344–350. PMID: 29337224.
Article
69. Pourhajibagher M, Bahador A. An in vivo evaluation of microbial diversity before and after the photo-activated disinfection in primary endodontic infections: traditional phenotypic and molecular approaches. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2018; 22:19–25. PMID: 29486354.
Article
70. Asnaashari M, Ashraf H, Rahmati A, Amini N. A comparison between effect of photodynamic therapy by LED and calcium hydroxide therapy for root canal disinfection against Enterococcus faecalis: a randomized controlled trial. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2017; 17:226–232. PMID: 28040502.
Article
71. Jurič IB, Plečko V, Pandurić DG, Anić I. The antimicrobial effectiveness of photodynamic therapy used as an addition to the conventional endodontic re-treatment: a clinical study. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2014; 11:549–555. PMID: 25461966.
Article
72. Garcez AS, Nuñez SC, Hamblim MR, Suzuki H, Ribeiro MS. Photodynamic therapy associated with conventional endodontic treatment in patients with antibiotic-resistant microflora: a preliminary report. J Endod. 2010; 36:1463–1466. PMID: 20728710.
Article
73. López FU, Kopper PM, Bona AD, Steier L, de Figueiredo JA, Vier-Pelisser FV. Effect of different irrigating solutions and photo-activated therapy for in vivo root canal treatment. Braz Dent J. 2015; 26:228–233. PMID: 26200145.
Article
74. Decurcio DA, Rossi-Fedele G, Estrela C, Pulikkotil SJ, Nagendrababu V. Machine-assisted agitation reduces postoperative pain during root canal treatment: a systematic review and meta-analysis from randomized clinical trials. J Endod. 2019; 45:387–393.e2. PMID: 30833095.
Article
75. Ramamoorthi S, Nivedhitha MS, Divyanand MJ. Comparative evaluation of postoperative pain after using endodontic needle and EndoActivator during root canal irrigation: a randomised controlled trial. Aust Endod J. 2015; 41:78–87. PMID: 25195661.
Article
76. Topçuoğlu HS, Topçuoğlu G, Arslan H. The effect of different irrigation agitation techniques on postoperative pain in mandibular molar teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis: a randomized clinical trial. J Endod. 2018; 44:1451–1456. PMID: 30144989.
Article
77. Al-Zaka IM. The incidence of pain after root canal treatment using different irrigation methods. Tikrit J Dent Sci. 2012; 1:38–43.
78. Yılmaz K, Tüfenkçi P, Adıgüzel M. The effects of QMix and EndoActivator on postoperative pain in mandibular molars with nonvital pulps: a randomized clinical trial. Clin Oral Investig. 2019; 23:4173–4180.
Article
79. Middha M, Sangwan P, Tewari S, Duhan J. Effect of continuous ultrasonic irrigation on postoperative pain in mandibular molars with nonvital pulps: a randomized clinical trial. Int Endod J. 2017; 50:522–530. PMID: 27248848.
Article
80. Coelho MS, Vilas-Boas L, Tawil PZ. The effects of photodynamic therapy on postoperative pain in teeth with necrotic pulps. Photodiagnosis Photodyn Ther. 2019; 27:396–401. PMID: 31301436.
Article
81. Gondim E Jr, Setzer FC, Dos Carmo CB, Kim S. Postoperative pain after the application of two different irrigation devices in a prospective randomized clinical trial. J Endod. 2010; 36:1295–1301. PMID: 20647083.
Article
82. Topçuoğlu HS, Topçuoğlu G, Arslan H. The effect of apical positive and negative pressure irrigation methods on post-operative pain in mandibular molar teeth with symptomatic irreversible pulpitis-a randomized clinical trial. J Endod. 2018; 44:1210–1215. PMID: 29935873.
Article
83. Sjögren U, Figdor D, Persson S, Sundqvist G. Influence of infection at the time of root filling on the outcome of endodontic treatment of teeth with apical periodontitis. Int Endod J. 1997; 30:297–306. PMID: 9477818.
Article
Full Text Links
  • RDE
Actions
Cited
CITED
export Copy
Close
Share
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
Similar articles
Copyright © 2024 by Korean Association of Medical Journal Editors. All rights reserved.     E-mail: koreamed@kamje.or.kr