The effectiveness of the mixture of phytic acid-sodium hypochlorite used with needle irrigation and sonic agitation on smear layer removal and erosion

The aim of this study to evaluate the effects of phytic acid-sodium hypochlorite mixture on smear layer and erosion. In this study, 72 extracted, single-rooted, mandibular premolar human teeth were used. All teeth were prepared and randomly allocated into four groups. Groups are as follows; Group 1: phytic acid, needle irrigation (30 sec) Group 2: phytic acid, needle irrigation (10 sec), sonic agitation (20 sec) Group 3: phytic acid-NaOCl, needle irrigation (30 sec) Group 4: phytic acid-NaOCl, needle irrigation (10 sec), sonic agitation (20 sec). Photomicrographs were taken x 2000 magnification from SEM, from coronal, middle and apical third of each specimen for evaluation. Data were analyzed using the three way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc test. In this study, mixture of phytic acid-sodium hypochlorite was ineffective and phytic acid was moderately effective in removing the smear layer. Sonic agitation did not have a significantly additional effect on smear layer removal. Intragroup comparisons revealed no significant differences at any root level.