(PR48) Impact of the GentleWave System on Root Canal Disinfection of Teeth with Minimally Invasive Endodontic Access Cavities

Objectives: This study evaluated the impact of GWS on root canal disinfection of teeth with conservative access cavities (ConsAC) and compared it to traditional access cavities (TradAC).

Methods: 56 extracted human maxillary first premolars were randomly divided into four groups: ConsAC + GWS; ConsAC + conventional instrumentation (CIT); TradAC + GWS; and TradAC + CIT (All, n=14). All teeth were dentin pretreated and infected with three-week-old E. faecalis biofilm. For GWS groups, an occlusal platform was built, and the GWS protocol was applied. For the CIT groups, the canals were instrumented with Vortex Blue rotary file to #35/.04 and irrigated with NaOCl. Intracanal bacteriologic samples were collected with sterile paper points before (s1) and after (s2) treatment and after being cryogenically ground (s3). Data distribution was checked for normality using the Shapiro–Wilk test. The Friedman test was used for differences in bacteria among s1, s2, and s3. Dunn’s test was used for pairwise testing of s1, s2, and s3.

Results: Bacteria were detected in 100% of the root canal samples at s1. All disinfection protocols were highly effective in reducing bacteria (p <.05). ConsAC + CIT was the least effective protocol. TradAC + GWS was more effective than TradAC + CIT (p <.05). ConsAC + GWS and TradAC + GWS were the most effective disinfection protocols, with no difference between them (p>.05).

Conclusion: GWS optimized root canal disinfection in teeth with ConsAC and TradAC, with no difference between them.