The Antifungal Effect of Propolis Endodontic Irrigant with Three Other Irrigation Solutions in Presence and Absence of Smear Layer: An In Vitro Study

Introduction: the aim of this in vitro study was to compare the antifungal effect of propolis as an endodontic irrigant agent with a mixture of doxycycline, citric acid, and a detergent (MTAD), 2% chlorhexidine (CHX) and 3% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) against Candida albicans in presence and absence of smear layer. Methods and Materials: Extracted teeth with single canals (n=104) were prepared and randomly distributed into four experimental groups; 30% propolis, MTAD, 2% CHX and 3% NaOCl. Each group had two subgroups; with and without smear layer. The antifungal effectiveness was evaluated. The Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used to compare the overall effectiveness of different treatments at significance level of 0.05. Results: Propolis, CHX and NaOCl had similar levels of effectiveness to each other against C. albicans, and these levels were not affected by the presence or absence of the smear layer. Each irrigant was significantly more effective than MTAD or saline solution. MTAD was less effective in the presence of the smear layer than in its absence. Conclusions: Propolis irrigation can produce root canals that are free of C. albicans, even in the presence of the smear layer. Keywords: Candida albicans; Chlorhexidine; Irrigating Solution; Propolis; Smear Layer; Sodium Hypochlorit

Root and canal morphology of third molar teeth

Restorative and prosthetic considerations usually necessitates endodontic treatment of third molars in order to retain them as a functional component of the dental arch. However, the anatomy of third molars has been described as unpredictable. To date, there has been little published work on root and canal morphology of third molars, with an adequate sample size. The aim of this study was to investigate root and canal morphology of third molars. Maxillary and mandibular third molars were gathered from dental surgeries within north Jordan. Following access cavity preparation, pulp tissue was removed and root canals stained. Teeth were subject to examination after rendering them clear by immersion in methyl salicylate, and the following features evaluated: (1) number of roots; (2) number and type of root canals; (3) number and position of lateral canals; and (4) presence of inter-canal communications. Out of the examined 592 maxillary third molars, 69.9% had three roots, 10.81% had one, 9.79% had two, 9.12% had four, and 0.34% had five roots. Most had three (52.36%) and four canals (28.2%) with less frequency of two (11.48%), one (5.91%) and five canals (2.03%). Of the 639 mandibular third molars, 89.76% had two roots, 7.35% had three, 2.5% had one, and 0.47% had four roots. Most had three (55.71%) and two canals (29.42%) with less frequency of four (13.61%), one (1.09%) and five canals (0.15%). The majority of maxillary third molars had 3 roots, while the majority of mandibular third molars had two. Overall, nearly half of the maxillary and mandibular third molars had three canals. New canal configurations, not previously described in the literature nor included in Vertucci's classifications, were identified in both maxillary and mandibular third molars. 2023, The Author(s).The authors wish to thank Jordan University of Science & Technology for supporting this project.Scopu

Apical Gutta-percha cone adaptation and degree of tug-back sensation after canal preparation

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate the degree of tug-back after canal preparation with respect to the Gutta-percha-occupied area (GPOA). Materials and Methods: Roots of twenty premolar teeth were prepared till size 35/0.04, then GP cones of same size and taper were adapted to root canals and the degree of tug-back sensation was scored as loose, slight, adequate, and strong. Root canals were filled with GP and AH26 sealer, and then sectioned horizontally 1 mm from the apical end at three levels. GPOA and its sum from the three levels sum of GPOA (sGPOA%) were calculated using digital stereomicroscope. Statistical Analysis: At each sectioned level, GPOA% was compared with the score of tug-back sensation using one-way ANOVA at a 5% significance level. Multiple pairwise comparisons were performed using Tukey test. Results: Tug-back sensation was present in all canals, described as slight, adequate, and strong in 4, 8, and 8 canals, respectively. Among the tug-back scores, quantitative analyses of GPOA% showed significant differences at 2- and 3-mm levels. The strong tug-back with sGPOA of 76.5 ± 11.1% was significantly higher than that of slight tug-back. Conclusions: Under the conditions of this study, the tug-back scoring system can be applied to determine the amount of GP adaptation inside the root canal. Strong tug-back sensation showed the highest GP adaptation although at least one-fifth of the apical canal region was left unfilled