Effect of EDTA and citric acid solutions on the microhardness and the roughness of human root canal dentin

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of citric acid and EDTA solutions on the microhardness and the roughness of human root canal dentin. Forty-five human teeth sectioned longitudinally were used. Specimens were randomly divided into three groups of 30 teeth each and were treated as follows: (a) one molar (19%) citric acid (C6H8O7) for 150 s followed by 5.25% NaOCl; (b) 17% EDTA for 150 s and rinsed with 5.25% NaOCl; (c) rinsed with distilled water and served as control. Three groups were then divided into two subgroups of 15 specimens each. The specimens, in first subgroup were subjected to Vicker's testing whereas the second subgroup underwent surface roughness testing. The results were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey tests. Significant differences were observed in microhardness among the test groups, citric acid group being the least hard (p 0.05). Also, citric acid significantly increased surface roughness.