Abstract
Achieving adequate disinfection and preventing reinfection is the major goal in endodontic treatment. Variation in canal morphology and open porosity of dentine prevents achieving complete disinfection. Questionable biocompatibility of materials as well as a lack of sealing ability questions the usefulness of current obturation methods. With a novel disinfection approach based on the use of boron-doped diamond (BDD) electrodes having shown promising results it was the goal of this series of experiments to investigate the possibility of BDD-mediated in situ forming of a biocompatible obturation material. A combination of calcium phosphate and maleic acid was used as precursor solution while Ion Chromatography Mass Spectrometry (IC-MS), Raman spectroscopy (RAMAN), X-ray diffraction (XRD), energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), dye penetration and micro-computed tomography (µCT) were applied for characterizing the precipitate. It was possible to achieve a BDD-mediated precipitation of brushite in a clinically applicable timeframe. However, tight sealing of the canal system based on brushite could not be achieved.
Highlights
Current concepts of root canal treatment involve the basic steps of mechanical instrumentation/shaping, cleaning/disinfection and obturation of the canal space
The basic requirements for a boron-doped diamond (BDD)-based obturation protocol were identified as follows (i) high precipitation rate of biomaterial, (ii) biocompatibility of the product, (iii) absence of toxic byproducts and (iv) tight and complete seal of the root canal. Calcium phosphates such as hydroxyapatite constituting the main inorganic component of enamel and bone [19] were identified as ideal candidates to meet these requirements
Images were taken by applying the EverhartThornley detector (ETD) back-scatter detector (BSE) combination [40]
Summary
Current concepts of root canal treatment involve the basic steps of mechanical instrumentation/shaping, cleaning/disinfection and obturation of the canal space. The basic requirements for a BDD-based obturation protocol were identified as follows (i) high precipitation rate of biomaterial, (ii) biocompatibility of the product, (iii) absence of toxic byproducts and (iv) tight and complete seal of the root canal. Calcium phosphates such as hydroxyapatite constituting the main inorganic component of enamel and bone [19] were identified as ideal candidates to meet these requirements. This group of substances is well known for biocompatibility and has been investigated for a variety of medical applications [20] including toothpastes for triggering remineralization, bone substitutes and coatings of dental implants for optimizing osseointegration [21–24]. Sealing capabilities were assessed using dye penetration tests and micro computed tomography (μCT)
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