The main goal of root canal treatment is to eliminate existing bacteria in the root canal system and prevent bacterial regrowth, thus preventing or treating apical periodontitis. This includes removal of all debris, necrotic tissues, bacterial biofilm, and other microbes from the root canal system. This can be achieved through the Endodontic Triad of mechanical preparation, chemical disinfection and hermetic three-dimensional obturation.
To achieve successful removal of bacteria inside the root canal system, mechanical preparation alone is never enough – owing to the various challenges that are usually encountered inside the root canal system, including and not limited to: challenging root canal anatomy, bacterial biofilm resistance and smear layer formation. That is why root canal irrigation is one of the most important steps for successful root canal system cleaning and disinfection and a very important determinant of success of root canal treatment. Many materials and techniques have been proposed to achieve effective root canal system irrigation and disinfection.
In this presentation, we are going to discuss different root canal irrigation materials and various techniques for irrigation delivery to the apical third, alongside with several techniques for activation of chemical irrigants. We will also be discussing important factors that affect the treatment outcome and other valuable tools, tips and tricks that could be incorporated into the irrigation protocol and the final rinse protocol to enhance it and make it much more powerful for effective root canal disinfection and better end treatment prognosis.
Objectives
1) Understanding the importance of root canal irrigation and chemical disinfection on top of mechanical preparation and cleaning for proper bacterial elimination from the root canal system.
2) Discussing effective irrigation materials and delivery techniques using various activation methods to achieve the minimal bacterial load inside the root canal system.
3) Addressing effective irrigation protocols and final rinse protocol and providing practical tips and recommendations for effective – as well as efficient – root canal system disinfection toward better treatment prognosis.