Similar influence of stabilized alkaline and neutral sodium hypochlorite solutions on the fracture resistance of root canal-treated bovine teeth.

INTRODUCTION: Stabilizing sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) at an alkaline pH is proposed to increase solution stability and tissue dissolution ability; however, a reduction on the flexural strength of dentin discs has been found to be a side effect. This study sought to determine whether a stabilized alkaline NaOCl reduces the fracture resistance of root canal-treated bovine teeth after root canal preparation compared with a neutral solution counterpart. METHODS: The 4 anterior incisors were removed from 20 mandibular bovine jaws, and each 1 was randomly assigned to 1 of 4 groups (20 teeth each). Teeth were prepared with a sequence of 6 K-type files. The following experimental groups received a different irrigation regimen: G1: distilled water (negative control), G2: 5% NaOCl at a pH of 7.2, and G3: 5% NaOCl at a pH of 12.8; in the positive control group (G4), teeth remained untreated. The time of contact and volume of solution were carefully standardized. After bone and periodontal ligament simulation, teeth were subjected to a fracture resistance test. RESULTS: A significant difference was observed among the 4 groups tested (analysis of variance, P < .05). The 5% NaOCl groups (G2 and G3) presented significantly lower resistance to fracture than the control (G1 and G4) (Tukey test, P < .05). Both NaOCl solutions similarly reduced the fracture resistance at approximately 30% (Tukey test, P > .05). No differences were observed between positive and negative control groups (Tukey test, P > .05). CONCLUSIONS: Stabilized alkaline and neutral NaOCl solutions similarly reduced the fracture resistance of root canal-treated bovine teeth by about 30%.

Atraumatic extraction, implant placement and immediate provisionalization.

Front tooth extraction typically results in significant loss of hard and soft tissue volume, both in the vestibular-lingual and mesiodistal directions. As these changes can compromise the esthetic results of prosthetic rehabilitation, extraction techniques that cause minimal trauma to the remnant tissues are applied in combination with immediate implant placement to minimize such alterations. The case reported in the present article illustrates a therapeutic plan consisting of atraumatic extraction followed by immediate implant placement and provisionalization. When carefully indicated and planned, our results indicate that this technique may provide promising immediate results relative to the maintenance and stability of the peri-implanted tissues.