Treatment-dependent calcium diffusion from two sealers through radicular dentine.

This study examined how root canal irrigation with sodium hypochlorite and citric acid affected calcium diffusion, using a calcium hydroxide-based sealer and a zinc oxide eugenol-based sealer with little calcium hydroxide. Sixty-eight single-rooted, freshly extracted teeth were decrowned to 14 mm, instrumented using a crown down technique, and divided into two groups: the experimental group (irrigated with 5.25% NaOCl followed by 10% citric acid) and the control (irrigated with 5.25% NaOCl only). Both groups were divided into two subgroups, depending on the type of sealers used in obturation with gutta-percha. Coronal and apical openings were sealed and teeth were placed in water (37 degrees C). Spectrophotometry was used to measure the amount of calcium released in water through radicular dentin. For each sealer, the calcium diffused from the experimental group was significantly higher than that of the control group (p < 0.05).