Gutta-Percha Solvents Alternative to Chloroform: An In Vitro Comparative Evaluation

Objective: Chloroform is an organic solvent extremely effective in dissolving the gutta-percha, but it is a potential carcinogen. The aim of this study is to compare the effectiveness of different alternative solvents with ability to dissolve gutta-percha that can be regarded a practicable alternative to chloroform. Materials and Methods: Stainless steel ring molds were used to create 50 gutta-percha samples. Each sample was dipped in different solvents: chloroform, Orange solvent, a mixture of D-limonene and 1,2 dichloropropane, a mixture D-limonene and turpentine, essence of turpentine. The weight loss after immersion was registered and solubility efficacy of each solvent was calculated. Results: Numeric data were analyzed by Shapiro Wilk test, Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance test and Mann-Whitney post-hoc test, and significance was set at P value < 0.05. The analysis of the results showed that chloroform had the greatest solubilizing effect and the ability to dissolve gutta-percha was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the other groups. Conclusions: This study confirmed that chloroform is the most effective solvent. Other solvents, such as G.P.R and Orange Solvent, could be considered an alternative to chloroform even if less efficient.