Effects of different irrigation regimens on the sealing properties of repaired furcal perforations

Objective: The pulp chamber is inevitably exposed to irrigants during endodontic therapy. This study aimed to investigate whether different irrigation regimens would alter the sealing ability of repaired furcal perforations. Study design: Pulp chambers of 90 extracted human molars were accessed, after which standardized diamond bur-cut perforations were created in the center of the pulp chamber floor. The canal orifices and the apical end of roots were sealed with acid-etch composite resin. Eighty teeth were randomly divided into 2 groups (n = 40/group) according to the material used for repairing the perforation defects: (1) Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA), (2) Super-EBA. The remaining teeth (n = 10) served as controls. The specimens were further subgrouped according to the irrigation regimens applied over the repair site (n = 10/group): (a) 5.25% NaOCl, (b) 5.25% NaOCl + EDTA, (c) 5.25% NaOCl + MTAD, and (d) No irrigation. Coronal leakage was measured by the fluid-filtration method at 1 day and 1 week. Results: Fluid conductance was not affected by the type of repair material (P = .964) or time (P = .726), but was affected significantly by the irrigation regimens in the following ranking: (P < .001): NaOCl ≤ No Irrigation < NaOCl + MTAD ≤ NaOCl + EDTA. Conclusion: The sealing ability of furcal perforations repaired with MTA or Super-EBA were differentially affected by exposure to the tested irrigation regimens.