Cleanliness and erosion of root canal walls after irrigation with a new HEDP-based solution vs. traditional sodium hypochlorite followed by EDTA. A scanning electron microscope study

Objectives To compare the cleanliness and erosion of root canal walls after the use of a new HEDP (1-hydroxyethane-1,1-diphosphonic acid) -based irrigant with that achieved by irrigation with sodium hypochlorite followed by EDTA. Materials and methods Forty recently extracted single-rooted teeth were prepared with ProTaper Next files to size X3, using either HEDP-containing 3% sodium hypochlorite, throughout the procedure ( n = 20), or 3% sodium hypochlorite followed by a final rinse with 17% EDTA ( n = 20), which were both applied with a syringe and needle. Ten additional teeth were prepared and irrigated with saline and served as negative controls. The teeth were split longitudinally and subjected to SEM evaluation for the presence of a smear layer, debris, and erosion of the root canal wall. The Pearson chi-square test was used to compare the results, and the level of significance was set at p