Endodontic retreatment requires the efficient removal of old gutta percha from the root canal system. The aim of this study was to assess the solubility of gutta percha in different endodontic solvents commonly used in dentistry as well as the effect of changing the immersion time from 2 to 5 min. A total of sixty ISO size 40 gutta percha points were weighed prior to immersion and after immersion in five different solvents at 2 min and 5 min respectively. Distilled water was used as a control solvent. The weight loss obtained was considered a measure of the dissolving efficacy of the corresponding solvent. Mean values for each set of data was obtained. Data was analysed by SPSS version 23 using one way ANOVA and correlations were tested. The highest dissolution was obtained with chloroform followed by eucalyptus oil, benzene, orange oil and xylene respectively. No significant difference was found by increasing the time interval from 2min to 5min. Considering the balance between the biocompatibility and dissolving capacity of each solvent, eucalyptus oil is recommended as the solvent of choice with a 2 min immersion time for safe and effective gutta percha removal.
Key words: Gutta percha, retreatment, endodontic solvents, dissolving efficacy, immersion time.
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