Physicochemical, Antimicrobial, and Biological Evaluation of an Experimental Intracanal Medication

• Grant number: 24/18199-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: April 01, 2025
• End date: December 31, 2025
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Dentistry - Endodontics
• Principal Investigator: Marina Angélica Marciano da Silva
• Grantee: Gabriel Bispo Carvalho
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Odontologia de Piracicaba (FOP). Universidade Estadual de Campinas (UNICAMP). Piracicaba , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Intracanal medications are used as adjuncts in the decontamination of root canals and to fill the spaces of the pulp cavity when endodontic treatment is not yet complete. The medication should have an alkaline pH, be biocompatible, and be able to penetrate dentinal tubules. These medications can be based on calcium hydroxide or calcium silicate. Given the importance of the vehicle in these medications for better flow within the dentin and reduced solubility, it is necessary to obtain a vehicle with greater biocompatibility. Thus, the aim of this study will be to evaluate an experimental medication (n=6) based on calcium hydroxide and another based on calcium silicate, containing a vehicle with an experimental polymer (PEx) that is biocompatible and promotes cell proliferation, assessing its penetration into dentinal tubules and evaluating its volumetric changes over 7 days in a liquid medium by micro-computed tomography (micro-CT). The cell viability and migration (n=3) will be assessed at 24, 48, and 72 hours using the medication in undiluted form and diluted at ½ and ¼ ratios in culture medium with human periodontal ligament mesenchymal progenitor cells. To assess the antimicrobial activity of the medications, agar diffusion and direct contact tests will be conducted using the microorganism Enterococcus faecalis. For comparison, calcium hydroxide medication with distilled water without polymer, and the medications Bio-C Temp and Ultracal (n=6) will also be evaluated. For the dentinal penetration test, 30 human single-rooted premolars without significant curvature and with circular canals will be used. The teeth will be instrumented with the VDW Silver Motor (VDW, Munich, Germany) up to a K-file #40 with instrument 35.05, and the medication will be inserted and agitated with an ultrasonic tip for one minute. Two 1 mm thick slices will be taken from the roots for analysis under confocal microscopy. The tubule penetration will be measured using ImageJ software. For the volumetric change test, 30 single-rooted acrylic teeth with circular canals, printed using an Anycubic Photon Mono 4K 3D printer (Anycubic Technologies, Shenzhen, China), will be instrumented with the VDW Silver Motor (VDW, Munich, Germany) up to instrument 35.05 and irrigated with 2.5% NaOCl and 17% EDTA with ultrasonic agitation, and the medication will be inserted into the canal. The teeth will be immersed in vials containing 10 mL of distilled water and scanned before immersion and after 15 days. The statistical test used will be one-way ANOVA with Tukey's post-hoc test, adopting a 5% significance level.