Evaluation of apically extruded debris and irrigant using different file systems

The aim of this study was to evaluate the amount of apically extruded debris and irrigant during cleaning and shaping with different file systems.

Seventy-five extracted mandibular premolar and canine teeth were randomly divided into five groups (n = 15). The root canals were instrumented by using Mtwo (VDW, Munich, Germany), Twisted File (TF; Sybron Endo, Orange, California, USA), Reciproc (VDW), Self-Adjusting File (SAF; Re Dent-Nova, Ra'anana, Israel) systems, and K-type stainless steel hand file (Mani Inc., Tochigi, Japan). Apically extruded debris was collected and dried in preweighed Eppendorf tubes. Extruded irrigant was collected from the cannula by using a plastic insulin syringe. After drying, the amount of apically extruded debris was established by subtracting the initial weight from the final weight of the tubes. After performing the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, data were analyzed by Kruskall-Wallis test at a significance level of P value less than 0.05.

There were no statistically significant differences between the file systems in terms of debris and irrigant extrusion. Mtwo group produced the highest mean debris extrusion value and the TF group produced the less compared with the other files. The least mean irrigant extrusion value was associated with the SAF group, whereas the highest mean irrigant extrusion value was associated with the Reciproc group.

Under the conditions of the study, all file systems were associated with apical debris and irrigant extrusion.