Effect of different irrigants on the removal of the dentinal barrel during endodontic treatment. Literature review

Abstract

Introduction. Currently, endodontic treatment is one of the most performed procedures in conservative dentistry. One of the most important steps is the disinfection of the root canals since microorganisms can be found there and they can interfere with the success of the treatment. Objective. To analyze the effect of different irrigants on the removal of the smear layer during endodontic treatment through a bibliographic review. Methodology.  This research is a bibliographic-based study that analyzed scientific articles about endodontic irrigants, the information was collected from scientific databases such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Scielo, Science Direct, Elsevier, and others, directing the analysis to dependent and independent variables to develop a guide on the correct use of endodontic irrigants. Results. 80 articles were reviewed to analyze the effect of many irrigants on removing the smear layer during endodontic treatment; 57 articles were selected to meet the inclusion criteria. Most publications were qualitative and descriptive documents, published between 2019 and 2022 mainly from the United States. The distribution by the database was: Pubmed 54.2%, Google Scholar (3.4%), and Korea Med (3.4%). 27.45% of the articles corresponded to the Q1 quartile. Regarding the citation count and the SJR impact factor, it was found that in 2018, 42 citations were recorded with an SJR impact factor of 1.14, representing the highest one. Conclusion. It is concluded that each irrigant fulfills a specific function, currently, there is no single substance that ideally eliminates organic and inorganic tissue and microorganisms from the root canals, therefore, it is determined that irrigation must be a combination of the irrigants interspersed to disinfect.