(PR105) Evaluating Canal Cleanliness with a New Device

Objective: Successful endodontic treatment relies on eradicating necrotic tissue and microorganisms by chemo-mechanical debridement. Currently, there is no objective rapid chairside test to determine how well instrumentation cleans the root canal. A new device, the Endocator (Aptos, CA), provides a 0-100 Endoscore based on adenosine triphosphate, adenosine diphosphate, and adenosine monophosphate levels in the sample solution. An alternative score of 0-600,000 is also provided in relative light units. This device has not been evaluated for bacterial correlation with the Endoscore. This study aimed to correlate the Endoscore with the bacterial load.

Methods: Enterococcus faecalis was cultured on BHI plates overnight. A total of 5 serial dilutions were obtained from the E. faecalis using a sterile water solution. An Endoscore reading was determined for all serial dilutions. The experiment was conducted in triplicate. Pearson correlation test was used (p < .05). 3)

Results: Bacteria were detected in 100% of the samples. The highest bacterial load was detected at a 100 Endoscore (1.8 x 10 ^ 4 CFU/ml). No bacteria were recovered in the control (Endoscore = 0). There was a strong correlation between the Endoscore reading and the bacterial levels (p < .05).

Conclusion: Within the limitations of this in vitro study, the Endocator could be a valuable chairside tool to evaluate bacterial disinfection. Higher Endoscore readings were correlated with higher bacterial detection. Blood and tissue can also affect Endoscore readings; this was not assessed. Clinical research is needed to determine if there is a relationship between the Endoscore and heal