In vitro study of effect of solvent on root canal retreatment

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of five different solvents xylol, eucalyptol, halothane, chloroform and orange oil on softening gutta-percha in simulated root canals. One drop of solvent was placed into a reservoir made in a simulated canal whose channel was previously instrumented and filled with gutta-percha and N-Rickert sealer. After 5 min, softening was evaluated for each solvent by the penetration of a spreader while applying force with a 442 Instron apparatus to reach a depth of 5 mm. The results were analyzed statistically by the Kruskal-Wallis test. Xylol and orange oil were better in softening gutta-percha than the other solvents. There was no significant difference between xylol and orange oil, but these were statistically different from eucalyptol, halothane and chloroform (p<0.01)