Efficacy of Handpiece Mounted Continuous Irrigation System for the Removal of Residual Pulpal Debris During Root Canal Preparation

Objective The removal of residual pulpal debris (RPD) from the root canal walls, especially in necrotic teeth is important for successful endodontic outcome. The aim of this study was to evaluate the RPD removal efficacy of handpiece mounted continuous irrigation with simultaneous root canal preparation from the apical third of root canals as compared to conventional syringe irrigation (SI). Materials and Methods Ninety extracted teeth were randomly divided into three groups: SI; handpiece mounted continuous irrigation (CI); and both syringe and continuous irrigation (CI+SI). After root canal preparation, roots were sectioned at 1 (a), 3 (b) and 5 (c) mm from apex and prepared for Hematoxylin-Eosin staining. Sections were microscopically examined for presence of RPD. Statistical Analysis Intergroup difference in average percentage of RPD at different root levels was calculated by using analysis of variance test (ANOVA). Tuckey test was used for pairwise comparison. Results ANOVA showed significant difference between all three groups ( p < 0.05). SI group showed a significantly higher percentage of RPD as compared with CI and CI+ SI groups at all root levels ( p < 0.01). At root level a, CI showed a significantly higher percentage of RPD as compared with CI+SI ( p < 0.01). Conclusion Handpiece mounted CI during rotary instrumentation showed a significant reduction in RPD as compared with conventional syringe irrigation. This technique was found to be an effective method for an enhanced root canal debridement.