Avaliação da eficácia na remoção de smear layer no terço apical do canal radicular utilizando a irrigação ultrassônica passiva - revisão da literatura

Abstract

Introduction: The smear layer is a physical barrier that adheres to the canal walls, interfering with the success of endodontic treatment, and its removal is a challenge, especially in the apical region. Therefore, irrigating substances are used in order to help with cleaning, however, no irrigant can totally remove the smear layer, so the need to activate the irrigant was seen. Objective: In view of the above, the aim of this study is to evaluate passive ultrasonic irrigation compared to other irrigation methods in removing the smear layer from the apical region. Methodology: A search of electronic databases was conducted until August 2022, including studies comparing passive ultrasonic irrigation with different irrigation methods, natural smear layer in the apical region of root canals in extracted human teeth, resulting in 693 articles. After sorting by title and abstract, removing duplicates and reading the entire text, 43 articles were selected for this study. Results: Passive ultrasonic irrigation performed better than the positive apical pressure or manual agitation technique, presenting no differences compared to the sonic and mechanical groups. While negative apical pressure and laser techniques remove more smear layer. Conclusion: It can be said that there is a variation in the way passive ultrasonic irrigation has been used. That said, it can be concluded that there is a need to perform standardization in relation to the operating protocol, and further studies are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of the technique in removing the smear layer in the apical third.