Effectiveness of different irrigation solutions on triple antibiotic paste removal from simulated immature root canal

To evaluate the effectiveness of different irrigation solutions and ultrasonic activation of irrigation solutions on removal of triple antibiotic paste (TAP) from root canals of the simulated immature teeth. Fifty single-rooted teeth were used. TAP was placed into each root canal, and specimens were stored in distilled water for 4 weeks at 37°C. After 4 weeks, the temporary coronal seal was removed and the samples were randomly divided into five groups as follows: (i) saline; (ii) ultrasonic activation of saline; (iii) NaOCl; (iv) ultrasonic activation of NaOCl; (v) chlorhexidine digluconate (CHX). The amount of remaining TAP on the canal walls was measured under stereomicroscope with 30× magnification. The data were analyzed using a one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey test at a significance level of 0.05. There were statistically differences among CHX and ultrasonic activation of NaOCl and other groups (p < 0.05). There were no significant differences among the ultrasonic activation of saline, NaOCl, and saline groups (p > 0.05). Irrigation solutions and ultrasonic activation of the irrigation solutions could not completely remove the triple antibiotic paste from simulated immature root canals. Ultrasonic activation of the NaOCl gave the best and CHX was the worst results.