Hypochlorite-induced severe cellulitis during endodontic treatment: case report

Introduction: Sodium hypochlorite is a solution used in endodontic treatment, and if an accidental apical extrusion occurs, serious complications may affect soft tissue. Objective: The aim of this article is to present a case of apical extrusion of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) during root canal system instrumentation. Case report: A 28-year-old woman sought a local dental service for root canal treatment of tooth #24. Conventional endodontic treatment was adopted, which consisted of the use of 2.5% NaOCl solution as irrigation solution applied with a 10-ml syringe and 22G hypodermic needle. At that time, the patient reported extreme pain and a burning sensation in the left maxillary region, followed by the formation of intense edema. A clinical diagnosis of hypochlorite-induced cellulitis was made. The patient was treated immediately with amoxicillin (500 mg, orally) at intervals of 8 h for 7 days and dexamethasone (4 mg, intramuscularly) at intervals of 24 h for 3 days. In the subsequent endodontic treatment, 2% chlorhexidine gel applied with a 5-ml syringe and 24G needle was used as irrigation for a better control of treatment and to prevent new accidents. The root canals were instrumented using adequate crown-down technique, which provides a conical shape, and filled by lateral condensation technique. The patient was symptom free at the 8-month clinical follow-up. Conclusion: Dentists should always carefully follow all stages of dental treatment planning without neglecting any of them, paying attention to the solutions used and their storage as well as performing a specific technique with maximum accuracy. If an accident occurs, the appropriate handling of the situation will enable the satisfactory completion of treatment.

Evaluation of apically extruded debris during endodontic retreatment

Introduction: A growing interest to preserve teeth into the mouth by patients resulted in the increasing number of endodontic retreatments, and when these happen, many different types of irritants are extruded through the foramen. Objective: This study analyzed in vitro the amount of debris extruded through the foramen using four instrumentation techniques during endodontic retreatment. Material and methods: Forty mesial-buccal roots of first molars were selected, instrumented with anatomical diameter up to size #30 ISO file and then obturated with gutta-percha and grossman sealer by lateral condensation. After, they were separated and randomly allocated into four groups with 10 teeth each for the endodontic retreatment procedure: G1 - conventional technique + solvent, G2 - conventional technique without solvent, G3 - ProTaper retreatment + solvent, G4 - ProTaper retreatment without solvent. In all groups, gutta-percha in the coronal portion was removed by using size 1-3 Gates Glidden drills. All teeth were irrigated with distilled water. The debris extruded through the foramen were collected and weighed by an analytical balance. Results: Group 4 had the lowest average for material extrusion through the foramen followed by groups 2, 3 and 1. When Tukey test for statistical analysis was applied, no significant difference among groups were found (p = 0.5664). Conclusion: We conclude that all instrumentation techniques used in this study produced debris which goes beyond the foramen.