This class covers the basic aspects of irrigation techniques in endodontics.
Irrigation in endodontics is the main tool for solving problems inherent to endodontic treatment: the difficult anatomy of the apical region, with apical deltas and accessory canals and foramen, and the need for microbial decontamination and removal of the smear layer in this area. Therefore, irrigation is the most important and decisive step for a positive treatment prognosis.
The resources that have emerged in the last two decades have considerably changed irrigation techniques in endodontics, making them much more efficient in their main objectives: cleaning, decontamination and tissue dissolution. Among the several active substances used in irrigation are sodium hypochlorite, EDTA, chlorhexidine, citric acid and alcohol. The most common inactive substances used in the dilution of these substances are distilled water, saline solution, and detergents. The great change in irrigation in endodontics actually occurred with the arrival of thinner needles, with lateral exit, to prevent accidents, methods of agitation of the substance inside the root canals, with the use of ultrasonic tips and mechanical resources, and the adoption of final irrigation protocols seeking to unite the properties of different substances. Such advances, together with patency maneuvers and foraminal widening, resulted in a more effective decontamination of the apical region, as well as a more effective clearance of dentinal canaliculi throughout the root canal system.
Several studies found in the literature report the greater effectiveness of these irrigation techniques in relation to those performed in the traditional manner. However, several accidents during irrigation have been reported in the literature. Therefore, it is necessary to adopt practices that prevent such accidents from occurring, such as performing a cervical access for the drainage of irrigants, using irrigation needles with lateral outlets, not locking the needle in the region of the foramen during injection, not using plastic tips for injection, and taking care in regions of the foramen with incomplete root formation or apical resorption.
