Eficácia da utilização do Easy Clean na remoção de diferentes medicações intracanal: um estudo por micro-CT

Abstract

This experimental *in vitro* study aimed to evaluate the removal quality of different types of intracanal medication (ICM) using agitation with the Easy Clean plastic instrument. Forty single-rooted mandibular premolars were selected, accessed, and endodontically prepared using mechanized instrumentation. Subsequently, they underwent micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scanning to quantify canal volume, allowing them to be paired according to the two different intracanal medications (n=20): teeth with the bioceramic medication Bio-C Temp (MIC-BIO) and teeth with the calcium hydroxide-based medication UltraCal (MIC-HC). After ICM application, the teeth were scanned again to visualize and quantify the quality of ICM placement using CTan software. After 14 days, the medications were removed using the Easy Clean system combined with sodium hypochlorite irrigation. Agitation consisted of three 20-second activation cycles. Finally, the teeth were scanned again and evaluated regarding the percentage of remaining ICM. Data were subjected to the Shapiro-Wilk test to assess normality, followed by the Student's t-test (for normal data) and the Mann-Whitney test (for non-normal data) (p<0.05). It was observed that agitation with the plastic instrument did not remove 100% of the medication; however, there was a statistically significant difference between the groups regarding the percentage of remaining ICM after the removal protocol (irrigation combined with the device), with 23.3% of MIC-HC and 50.6% of MIC-BIO remaining. It was concluded that irrigation combined with Easy Clean agitation is a viable and effective option for removing calcium hydroxide-based and bioceramic-based intracanal medications from mandibular premolars. However, it was still unable to completely remove the residue from any of the tested teeth.