(PO92) Microhardness Comparison of Traditional Irrigation Protocol to an All-In-One Irrigation Solution

Abstract: The objective of this study was to evaluate the Triton All-In-One Solution compared to a traditional irrigation protocol and their effect on dentin microhardness. The hypothesis was that Triton would cause dentin to be softer due to its prolonged exposure to chelating agents during irrigation. Sixty single-canalled teeth were decoronated before being instrumented to a size F4 Protaper Gold File. The teeth were split in half longitudinally. Dentin hardness was tested in the coronal, middle, and apical thirds of teeth 100 micrometers from the root canal lumen with 300g of pressure over a 20-second dwell time using a Knoop's indenter. Twenty teeth were used per group. Group 1 was the control group, which used 0.9% NaCl Saline for irrigation. Group 2 used 5.25% Sodium Hypochlorite (NaOCl) and 17% Ethylenediaminetetraacetic Acid (EDTA). Group 3 used Triton irrigating solution. The groups had a mean Knoop hardness score of 36.1, 31.1, and 28.9 for the control group, NaOCl/EDTA group, and Triton group, respectively. Using the GLM procedure, there were statistically significant differences among groups at a significance level of 0.05. Post hoc correction using Tukey's method showed that each group was statistically different from one another with a significance level of 0.05. From this limited in vitro study, it seems that irrigation with Triton All-In-One Solution causes the dentin to become weaker compared to the control and NaOCl/EDTA groups. Although statistically significant, its clinical significance should be further investigated.