The efficiency of irrigants in removing root canal debris when used with an ultrasonic preparation technique

Summary. Three types of irrigant, 2.6 per cent sodium hypochlorite, water and Solvidont were compared for their ability to remove debris during root canal preparation with ultrasonically operated K files. Twenty-seven freshly extracted human teeth were divided into three groups, and each group prepared using one of the irrigants. The teeth were sectioned longitudinally, stained and photographed for assessment by a ranking system. Canals prepared with sodium hypochlorite were found to have significantly less debris remaining than those prepared with water or Solvidont. No significant difference was found between preparations with water and Solvidont.