Efficacy of Needle Irrigation, EndoActivator, and Photon-initiated Photoacoustic Streaming Technique on Removal of Double and Triple Antibiotic Pastes

Abstract Introduction Photon-induced photoacoustic streaming (PIPS) is a novel technique used for the removal of material on root canal walls, such as bacteria and the smear layer. This study evaluated the efficacy of needle irrigation, the EndoActivator System (Dentsply Tulsa Dental Specialties, Tulsa, OK), and PIPS on the removal of antibiotic pastes from an artificial groove created in a root canal. Methods Root canal preparation was performed up to size #40 on 84 extracted single-rooted teeth using ProTaper rotary instruments (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland). The specimens were then split longitudinally, and 2 standardized grooves were prepared in the coronal and apical part of each segment. Double (DAP) and triple antibiotic pastes (TAP) were placed in the grooves for 4 weeks, and the root halves were reassembled. Needle irrigation, the EndoActivator System, and PIPS were used for the removal of DAP and TAP. The root segments were disassembled, and the amount of remaining antibiotic pastes was evaluated under a stereomicroscope at 20× magnification using a 4-grade scoring system. The data were evaluated statistically using Mann-Whitney U tests with a 95% confidence level ( P = .05). Results PIPS removed significantly more antibiotic pastes than the EndoActivator and needle irrigation ( P