Influence of EDTA on Demineralization Rate of Dentine: Calcification Treatment in Root Canal Therapy

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) irrigation on demineralization rate of dentine located in the apical third of root canal walls. Teeth were divided into A and B two groups. In group A, all of the teeth was irrigated with EDTA and NaOCl (sodium hypochlorite), followed by cutting the apical third into slices longitudinally to examine the influence of EDTA on different portions of apical third of root canal. In group B, the apical third of a tooth was firstly cut into slices longitudinally, followed by coating the root canal walls with EDTA to in-situ observe the demineralization of dentine with different time. It was found that the influence of EDTA on root-canal was gradually increased from the apical to the upper end of the apical third for group A. In addition, the demineralization rate of dentine was remarkable in the first 25 min for group B. The diffusion of EDTA into root dentine would lead to potential damage to the dentine. Furthermore, demineralization rate curve was calculated.