A study by Siqueira, et al compared the effectiveness of 2 root canal irrigants—2.5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCL) and 0.12% chlorhexidine digluconate—in reduction of bacteria in infected root canals of teeth with apical periodontitis. The study involved 32 teeth with primary intraradicular infections and chronic apical periodontitis. Baseline bacterial samples were taken; samples were then taken after chemomechanical prep-aration with either NaOCL or chlorhexidine irrigants. Cultivable bacteria at baseline and after irrigation were counted. The study found no significant difference be-tween the 2 irrigants in terms of antibacterial effects, indicating that both can be used as irrigants. The study also found that more than half of the cases still harbored detectable levels of bacteria after chemomechanical preparation with either substance. The authors state that perhaps the choice of irrigants should rely on the differences in their other properties, such as substantivity, tissue-dissolving ability, and toxicity. Currently, there is no prospective study comparing the 2 irrigants.
(Source: Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology, Oral Radiology, and Endodontology, Volume 104, Num-ber 1, July 2007)
