Comparison of two devices for root canal cleansing by the noninstrumentation technology

Optimal cleansing of the root canal system is a prime prerequisite for long-term success in endodontics. Recently, a new method and device were presented providing "automatic" root canal cleansing without the need of endodontic instrumentation. Cleanliness results equivalent to or better than those with conventional methods were achieved in considerably less time. The purpose of the present study was 2-fold: (a) optimization of the device to make it applicable to patients and (b) to measure its effectiveness against the predecessor model. A total of 156 root canals of 66 freshly extracted vital human molars were cleansed with the new device and their cleanliness compared with that of 149 canals of 52 molars cleansed previously with the first apparatus. Data indicated that the smaller new machine produced equivalent or better cleanliness results in the root canal system using significantly less irrigant (NaOCl).