Effect of Combined Use of Photon-Initiated Photoacoustic Streaming and Chitosan on Smear Layer Removal

Abstract

Objective: Ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) is an appropriate irrigant for smear removal. This study aims to compare thesmear-removing capacity of chitosan in combination with photon-initiated photoacoustic streaming (PIPS) to that of EDTA.Methods: Forty-five human mandibular premolar teeth were included. Root canals were prepared with OneShape files. The sampleswere randomly divided into three equal groups. The final rinsing was done as follows. Group 1: 0.2% chitosan irrigation withPIPS irradiation; Group 2: 0.2% chitosan alone; and Group 3: 17% EDTA. All the roots were longitudinally split into two halves andexamined under SEM to assess the remaining smear. A statistical analysis was performed using the Kruskal-Wallis test.Results: In the overall evaluation, the remaining smear was significantly less for group 1 as compared to the other groups (p