Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 8, 2026
Scanning Electron Microscopic Evaluation of Surface Defects of Remover Retreatment File After Single and Multiple Uses
Published on: October 11, 2024
Effects of sodium hypochlorite and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid on rotary nickel-titanium instruments evaluated
G Ametrano1, V D'Antò, M P Di Caprio
1Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Sciences, University of Naples Federico II, Napoli, Italy.
Aim:
To use atomic force microscopy (AFM) to evaluate the effects of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) on the surface characteristics of ProTaper rotary nickel-titanium instruments.
Methodology:
A total of twenty ProTaper (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) instruments (S1, S2, F1, F2) were divided into five groups: no immersion, immersion in 5.25% NaOCl for 5 or 10min and immersion in 17% EDTA for 5 or 10min. Twenty surface areas along 3-mm sections at the tip of the files (perfect squares of 1x1μm) were analysed by AFM operating in contact mode under ambient conditions. Three-dimensional images (400x400 lines) were processed using Gwyddion software, and the roughness average (Ra) and the root mean square value (RMS) of the scanned surface profiles were recorded. Data were analysed by means of anova and paired samples t-test.
Results:
Three-dimensional AFM images of the surface of ProTaper instruments, including new and those immersed in NaOCl and EDTA solutions, revealed topographic irregularities at the nanometric scale. RMS and Ra values of instruments treated with NaOCl and EDTA solutions were statistically higher than that of the new ones (P<0.05).
Conclusions:
Atomic force microscopy three-dimensional images and roughness values indicated that short-term contact between NaOCl and EDTA endodontic irrigants and ProTaper instruments caused alterations in the surface of instruments.
