Cleaning ability of two irrigating solutions in primary root canals

Effective cleaning of primary root canals remains challenging due to complex anatomy and physiological root resorption, limiting the efficacy of mechanical instrumentation alone. Therefore, it is of interest to compare the cleaning ability of 1% sodium hypochlorite and normal saline as irrigating solutions in primary teeth. Forty extracted primary molars were randomly allocated into two groups (n = 20), instrumented using standardized techniques, and irrigated with either sodium hypochlorite or saline, followed by stereomicroscopic evaluation of residual debris in different canal thirds. The sodium hypochlorite group showed significantly lower debris scores at all levels, particularly in the apical third, compared to the saline group (p < 0.05). Thus, we show that 1% sodium hypochlorite provides superior cleaning efficacy and may be preferred for pulpectomy procedures in primary teeth.