Evaluation of the effect of EDTA, EDTAC and citric acid on the microhardness of root dentine

Abstract

Aim: To evaluate the effect of citric acid, ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid plus Cetavlon (EDTAC) solutions on the microhardness of human root canal dentine. Methodology: Sixteen maxillary human canines were sectioned transversely at the cemento-enamel junction and the crowns were discarded. Subsequently, each root was embedded in an epoxy resin cylinder and their middle third sectioned horizontally into 4 mm thick slices. The samples were randomly divided into three groups according to the chelating agent employed, as follows (n = 6): group 1: EDTA 17%, group 2: EDTAC 17% and group 3: citric acid 10%. Dentine microhardness was then measured with a load of 50 g for 15 s. At the beginning of the experiment, reference microhardness values were obtained for samples without any etching (t = 0 min). The same samples were then exposed to 50 μL of the chelator solution for 1, 3 and 5 min. The Student's t-test (P < 0.05) was used to compare results for different times for each chelator and different chelators for each time. Results: Microhardness decreased with increasing time of application of chelating solutions. There were no significant (P > 0.05) differences between initial microhardness for the three groups as well as after 1 min of application of the substances. After 3 min, EDTA produced a significantly greater reduction in microhardness. However, there was no significant difference between EDTA and EDTAC after 5 min. Citric acid caused significantly less reduction in microhardness. Conclusions: Overall, citric acid was least effective in reducing dentine hardness whilst EDTA had the strongest effect. © 2006 International Endodontic Journal.