Irrigants in endodontics: A review

Aim. The purpose of this paper was to review different endodontic irrigants use in endodontics. Background. Many areas inside the canals are inaccessible to mechanical instrumentation, the presence of lateral and accessory canals makes root canal preparation even more difficult. The complete smear layer removal from the root canals depends consequently on both the irrigant solutions and the instrumentation phase. Review consults. Irrigants play a very important role in disinfecting the root canals thus the use of specific solutions has been performed in conjunction with mechanical instrumentation for many years. Combination of several irrigants can increase the capability to penetrate inside the tubules improving the final effect against resistant germs like Enterococcus faecalis that plays an important role in the failure of root canal treatment. Conclusion. The ideal irrigant solution should be microbiocidal, dissolve organic tissues and provide a mechanical flushing action without damaging the periradicular tissues in case of extrusion into the periodontium. Clinical significance. Future research on irrigants needs to focus on finding a single unique solutions that should have all those properties.