Intracanal placement of calcium hydroxide: a comparison of specially designed paste carrier technique with other techniques

BACKGROUND This study compared the effectiveness of a Specially Designed Paste Carrier technique with the Syringe-Spreader technique and the Syringe-Lentulo spiral technique in the intracanal placement of calcium hydroxide. METHODS Three groups, each containing 15 single-rooted human anterior teeth were prepared using standardized Mtwo rotary instruments to a master apical file size 40 with 0.04 taper. Each group was filled with calcium hydroxide paste using: Syringe and #25 finger spreader (Group 1); Syringe and #4 rotary Lentulo spiral (Group 2), Specially Designed Paste Carrier (Group 3). Using pre-filling and post-filling radiographs in buccolingual and mesiodistal planes, the radiodensities at 1 mm, 3 mm, 5 mm, and 7 mm from the apical foramen were analyzed by ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc tests. RESULTS Overall, The Specially Designed Paste Carrier technique showed a statistically significantly higher mean radiodensity than the two other compared techniques. No significant difference was detected between the Syringe-Lentulo spiral and the Syringe-Spreader techniques. CONCLUSION The Specially Designed Paste Carrier technique was more effective than the Syringe-Spreader technique and the Syringe-Lentulo spiral technique in the intracanal placement of calcium hydroxide.