Comparison of the effect of sodium hypochlorite, EDTA, and etidronic acid on wettability of root canal sealers using contact angle goniometer: An in vitro study

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate and compare the effect of Sodium hypochlorite, etidronic acid, and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) on the contact angle of AH Plus and MTA Fillapex root canal sealers. Materials and Methods: 45 freshly extracted single rooted teeth were selected and decoronated. They were then split longitudinally to obtain two halves which were trimmed as flat dentin bars of 2 mm thickness. They were randomly assigned to 3 groups of 30 each. The samples were surface treated with 2.5% sodium hypochlorite in Group A, 2.5% sodium hypochlorite followed by 17% EDTA in Group B, and a combination of 2.5% sodium hypochlorite and 18% etidronic acid in Group C. Each group was subdivided into two subgroups based on the sealer used, i.e., Subgroup 1-AH Plus and Subgroup 2-MTA Fillapex. The contact angle was analyzed using Rame Harte Goniometer. Results: AH Plus has significantly lesser contact angles than MTA Fillapex. The contact angle values showed the order of C1 Conclusion: Irrigating solutions affect the wettability of rootcanal sealers. AH Plus showed better wettability compared to MTA Fillapex. Irrigation with a combination of sodium hypochlorite and etidronic acid significantly decreased the contact angle, thereby increasing the wettability of sealers.