Inflammation can present complications, particularly during surgical procedures. Cryotherapy, which decreases tissue temperature for therapeutic purposes, presents one potential treatment option as investigated by a multi-university research team.
The researchers instrumented 20 extracted single-rooted teeth to size 35/0.06 and subjected them to 2 different irrigation interventions with a repeated-measures design using 5% sodium hypochlorite first (control) and 2.5°C cold saline solution later (experimental). In both, 20 mL of the irrigant solution was delivered for 5 minutes with a microcannula attached to a Kerr EndoVac system inserted to the working length.
Next, the researchers recorded the initial and lowest temperatures in the apical 4 mm with a digital thermometer for both irrigants. They also analyzed the data with the repeated measure analysis of variance (Greenhouse-Geisser correction) and Bonferroni post hoc tests. They then assessed the differences in maintaining a -10°C temperature reduction for 4 minutes with the Fisher exact test.
Significant differences were found between the initial and lowest temperatures in both the control and experimental irrigation procedures (P < 0.001). However, the experimental intervention reduced the lowest temperatures almost 10 times that of the control. When maintaining a -10°C temperature reduction over 4 minutes, the teeth in the experimental group also sustained significantly better results (P = 3.047 ´ 10-10).
The researchers concluded that using cold saline solution as the final irrigant to reduce the external root surface temperature more than 10°C and maintaining it for 4 minutes may be enough to produce a local anti-inflammatory effect in the periradicular tissues. Their study, “Effect of Intracanal Cryotherapy on Reducing Root Surface Temperature,” was published in the Journal of Endodontics.
Related Articles
More Evidence Connects Gum and Heart Disease
