US EPA

8209821 

Journal Article 

Chlorhexidine and its toxicity alone or on combination with different irrigants - Review of literature 

Siddique, R; Nivedhitha, MS 

2020 

JPR Solutions 

14 

2 

173-178 

English 

Success of endodontic treatment solely depends on the complete eradication of microbes from root canal system. This is accomplished with the help of mechanical instrumentation followed by administering various irrigating solutions. The commonly used irrigating solutions in endodontics are sodium hypochlorite and chlorhexidine (CHX), where sodium hypochlorite is considered as a gold standard irrigant. However CHX was found to be effective against NaOCl resistant bacterial strains due to antibacterial substantivity. Therefore, no single irrigating solutions can fulfill all ideal requirements needed for an irrigant, making it mandatory to combine different irrigants for enhancing the results of endodontic treatment. However, it has proved that CHX forms precipitate with other irrigants suspected to contain the presence parachloroaniline, which hinder wound healing and worsen periapical tissue damage. The purpose of this review is to highlight the drawbacks of CHX when used in combination with different irrigating solutions, precipitate formed, guidelines to follow if deemed necessary, and other potential alternatives. © 2020 JPR Solutions. All rights reserved. 

Endodontic irrigants; Herbal irrigants; Precipitate; Root canal; Sodium hypochlorite