Comparación de tres técnicas de irrigación en la remoción de hidróxido de calcio

Objectives: To compare effi cacy of three irrigation protocols in the removal of calcium hydroxide [Ca(OH)2]. Materials and Methods: Through an in vitro comparative study design, 106 root canals of bovine incisors were instrumented up to a fi le of diameter 60, the roots were fractioned into two halves following the major axis of the tooth and a standardized groove was created 2mm from the apical foramen that was fi lled with a paste of calcium hydroxide, then the halves were reassembled, incubated for 7 days and the irrigation protocols were carried out: passive ultrasonic (PUI), sonic with Endo Activator (EA) and manual dynamic activation (MDA), where 5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) was used as irrigant. A negative and positive control was used. With a stereomicroscope the amount of residue was observed, the images were examined and assigned a score according to the van der Sluis scale, fi nally the data were analyzed with the statistical test of Chi-square. Results: The percentages of effi cacy for PUI, EA and MDA irrigation protocols were 87.5%; 46.9% and 28.1% respectively, the PUI technique was superior to EA and MDA and obtained statistically signifi cant differences (p <0.001). Conclusions: PUI was the most effective method in the removal of Ca(OH)2 from the simulated grooves in the root canals.