Effect of Imidazolium-Based Silver Nanoparticles on Root Dentin Roughness in Comparison with Three Common Root Canal Irrigants

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of a nanosilver-based irrigant on dentin roughness in comparison with three commonly used root canal irrigation solutions. Methods and Materials: Three common irrigants including 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), 17% ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and 2% chlorhexidine (CHX) and also an imidazolium-based silver nanoparticle solution (ImSNP) (5.7×10 -8 mol/L), were used. Distilled water was used as control. Roots of 25 human anterior teeth were sectioned longitudinally to obtain 50 dentin samples. Roughness values were evaluated by atomic force microscopy analysis on 5 groups (n=10) after each group was treated in one of the tested irrigant solutions for 10 min. Values were statistically analyzed by Oneway analysis of variance, followed by a post hoc Tukey’s test for pair-wise comparison. Results: Dentin roughness significantly increased from 95.82 nm (control) to 136.02 nm, 187.07 nm, 142.29 nm and 150.92 nm with NaOCl, CHX, ImSNP and EDTA, respectively. CHX demonstrated a significantly higher roughness value compared to the other tested irrigants while no significant differences were seen in NaOCl, ImSNP and EDTA groups (P>0.242). Conclusion: ImSNP affected the physicochemical properties of dentin and raised its surface roughness; thus, this irrigant could impact bacterial and restorative material adhesion to root canal dentin walls.