Comparison of ultrasonic and mechanical cleaning of primary root canals using a novel radiometric method

Although ultrasound is employed increasingly as an adjunct to biomechanical preparation in clinical endodontics for adult teeth, there have been no previous investigation of this technique for primary teeth. This investigation studied the efficacy of ultrasonication compared with mechanical cleaning in primary root canals using a novel radiometric method. The results indicated that in multiple-rooted teeth, ultrasonication with an endosonic file for 3 min was able to remove 81.1% of inoculated bacteria, compared with only 65.2% using conventional filing. A combination of mechanical filing followed by ultrasonication produced the best results, with greater than 95% bacteria removed. The results show that ultrasonication may be useful for primary teeth endodontics.