Apically extruded debris associated with different instrumentation systems and irrigation needles

Aim Of this study is to compare apically extruded debris associated with canal shaping using 2Shape, ProTaper Universal and Reciproc systems using two different irrigation needle tips, open-ended and side-vented. Patients and methods Sixty freshly extracted human mandibular premolars were randomly divided into six groups (n = 10) as follows; group 1 and 2, 2Shape system was used in root canal preparation, in groups 3 and 4, ProTaper Universal preparation system was used, but In groups 5 and 6, Reciproc preparation was performed. In groups 1, 3 and 5 irrigation was done with open-ended needle while in groups 2, 4 and 6 side-vented needle was used. One Eppendorf tube for each tooth was weighed with an electronic weighing machine before instrumentation procedures. During instrumentation, irrigation was performed after every instrument with 1 ml distilled water. On completion of the preparation, teeth were removed from the Eppendorf tubes. All of the tubes were incubated at 37°C for 15 days, to evaporate the irrigant. After the incubation period, the tubes were weighed again. The difference between initial and final tubes weights was calculated, and statistical evaluation was performed using two-way analysis of variance at 5% level of significance. Results A statistically significant difference was observed between all groups (P≤0.05). The highest mean extruded debris value was recorded with group 3 while the lowest value was recorded with group 6. Open-ended needles were associated with significantly more extruded debris than side-vented needles regardless of the instrumentation system used (P≤0.05). Conclusion All the tested rotary instruments resulted in extrusion of debris beyond the apical foramen to an extent but Reciproc system is associated with less amount of apically extruded debris in comparison with 2Shape, ProTaper Universal systems. Side-vented needles extruded significantly less debris than open-ended needles.