Wettability of Irrigants used in Root Canal Treatment
The main objective of dental root canal treatment is to achieve a canal system free of microorganisms. The irrigant solutions used during treatment have the purpose of eliminating bacteria from infected root canals and promoting dissolution of the pulp tissue (a dense connective tissue). For decades, researchers have searched for antimicrobial agents that can effectively debride the root canal system. Until now the ideal chemical substance remains unknown. Among the solutions available for root canal irrigation, two are the most commonly employed and one was more recent introduced as a promising irrigant. T he firstis the sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), a halogen substance, which has pronounced antimicrobial activity and tissue solvent capacity. Second is the chlorhexidine (CHX), which is a cationic bisbiguanida with antibacterial property, derived from its electrostatic attraction by the microbial cell wall, which damages the cell osmotic balance. CHX also has substantivity due...