Comparison of Efficacy of Pulverization and Sterile Paper Point Techniques for Sampling Root Canals

Abstract Introduction The purpose of this study was to compare the efficacy of the pulverization and sterile paper point techniques for sampling root canals using 5.25% NaOCl/17% EDTA and 1.3% NaOCl/MTAD (Dentsply, Tulsa, OK) as irrigation regimens. Methods Single-canal extracted human teeth were decoronated and infected with Enterococcus faecalis . Roots were randomly assigned to 2 irrigation regimens: group A with 5.25% NaOCl/17% EDTA ( n = 30) and group B with 1.3% NaOCl/MTAD ( n = 30). After chemomechanical debridement, bacterial samplings were taken using sterile paper points and pulverized powder of the apical 5 mm root ends. Results The sterile paper point technique did not show growth in any samples. The pulverization technique showed growth in 24 of the 60 samples. The Fisher exact test showed significant differences between sampling techniques ( P P = .03) in pulverization technique. Conclusions The pulverization technique was more efficacious in detecting viable bacteria. Furthermore, this technique showed that 1.3% NaOCl/MTAD regimen was more effective in disinfecting root canals.