Clinical evaluation of the cleansing properties of the noninstrumental technique for cleaning root canals

Aim The purpose of the present study was to evaluate noninstrumentation technology (NIT) for root-canal cleansing in vivo. Methodology A total of 22 teeth that were to be extracted in 18 patients were treated with NIT for 30 min with 3.0% NaOCl. After extraction, the remaining organic debris in the root canals was evaluated histologically and categorized as the percentage of the corresponding canal length in the apical, middle and coronal regions of the roots. Percentage of residual debris was categorized as follows: D1, 0%; D2, 1-50% and D3, 51-100%. Results In the coronal region, 55% of the roots were totally clean ( D1), whereas 12% and 33% were scored as D2 and D3, respectively. The middle section was evaluated as D1 in 27%, D2 in 18% and D3 in 55%. In the apical region, only 21% of the roots were totally cleaned; the remaining 79% were scored as D3. Conclusion The results indicate that the noninstrumental technique for cleaning root canals needs further modifications for achieving acceptable results under clinical conditions.