Journal of AdvancedMedical and Dental Sciences Research

Background: The successful endodontic treatment depends on comprehensive cleaning and shaping of root canal system. The main objective of the irrigation is for cleansing that does not take place with biomechanical preparation. Accurate debridement of root canals is recommended in most endodontic treatment. Hence; the present study was undertaken for assessing the efficacy of two root canal irrigation solutions on smear layer removal during root canal therapy. Materials & method: A total of 20 freshly extracted maxillary second premolars were included. All the samples were divided into 2 study groups with 10 samples in each group. Group A included samples in which 15 percent EDTA was used while Group B included samples in which apple cider vinegar was used. Assessment of these areas was done under scanning electron microscope (SEM). Scoring system was used which scored smear layer as follows: Score 1: Smear layer completely covering the surface, Score 2: Smear layer partially covering the surface, Score 3: Smear layer half covered with open tubules and remaining of the surface with smear layer, Score 4: Small amount of surface and visible tubules covered with smear layer, and Score 5: No smear layer seen on the surface. All the results were recorded in Microsoft excel sheet and were analyzed by SPSS software. Results: Mean smear score among the specimens of Group A and Group B was found to be 1.89 and 2.18 respectively. Non- significant results were obtained while comparing the mean smear score among specimens of two study groups. Conclusion: Both the agents are equally effective in smear layer removal of root canals. Key words: Irrigation, Root canal, Smear