INVITRO SOLUBILITY OF HUMAN PULP TISSUE IN CALCIUM HYDROXIDE AND SODIUM-HYPOCHLORITE

The tissue solvent capacity of a 2% stabilized sodium hypochlorite solution (Milton(R)) and a commercial calcium hydroxide solution (Calasept(R)) was examined under in vitro conditions where autolyzed human pulp fragments weighing approximately 0.0065 g were immersed in these solutions at 37-degrees-C for periods of up to 10 days. It appeared that sodium hypochlorite was able to dissolve half the volume of pulp tissue within 1 h and the remaining tissue after 2-2 1/2 h. Calcium hydroxide dissolved half the pulp volume within 2 h, whereas it took 1 week for the remaining tissue to dissolve. These findings support the use of sodium hypochlorite as an irrigation solution during canal preparation and calcium hydroxide as a canal dressing for the purpose of creating a canal free of pulp remnants before root filling.