Effectiveness of passive ultrasonic irrigation in improving elimination of smear layer and opening dentinal tubules

Objective: To compare the ability to eliminate debris and open dentinal tubules of different ultrasound irrigation procedures. Study Design: Forty extracted single-rooted human teeth were instrumented with mechanical rotatory instrumentation, and divided into four groups: (n=10) according to the final irrigation technique: group A (control), 2.5% NaOCl irrigation with the Miraject needle and no ultrasonic agitation; group B, passive ultrasonic irrigation (PUI) with 2.5% NaOCl and Irrisafe 20 tips; group C, PUI with 2.5% NaOCl and Irrisafe 25 tips; group D, PUI with 2.5% NaOCl and K 25 tips. The amount of debris and the number of opened dentinal tubules was established by scanning electronic…