Apical extrusion of debris and irrigants during cleaning and shaping of the root canal is one of the main causes of peri-apical inflammation and postoperative flare-ups.
OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to quantitatively measure the amount of debris and irrigants extruded apically using rotary single file system and a multiple file rotary system.
METHODOLOGY: Thirty extracted upper six molars were selected. In all teeth the distal roots were sectioned and shortened to a length of 15 mm. The specimens were randomly divided into two groups (n= 15) according to the instrumentation system used. Group A: One shape file (single file system), Group B: Revo-S (multiple-file rotary system). Bi-distilled water was used as the irrigant with traditional needle irrigation delivery system. The apically extruded debris and irrigant were collected into pre-weighed glass vials. The amount of extruded debris and irrigant were assessed with a precision electronic balance. The liquid inside the tubes was dried and the mean weight of debris was assessed. The data were statistically analysed using SPSSS IBM version 22. All statistical analysis was done using two tailed tests and alpha error of 0.05. P-values less than 0.05 were considered significant.
RESULTS: The One shape file system produced significantly less amount of debris and irrigant compared with Revo-S file system.
CONCLUSION: Although all systems caused apical extrusion of debris and irrigant, the single file system was associated with less extrusion as compared with the use of the multiple-file system.