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Role of the confinement of a root canal on jet impingement during endodontic irrigation

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Abstract

During a root canal treatment the root canal is irrigated with an antimicrobial fluid, commonly performed with a needle and a syringe. Irrigation of a root canal with two different types of needles can be modeled as an impinging axisymmetric or non-axisymmetric jet. These jets are investigated experimentally with high-speed Particle Imaging Velocimetry, inside and outside the confinement (concave surface) of a root canal, and compared to theoretical predictions for these jets. The efficacy of irrigation fluid refreshment with respect to the typical reaction time of the antimicrobial fluid with a biofilm is characterized with a non-dimensional Damköhler number. The pressure that these jets induce on a wall or at the apex of the root canal is also measured. The axisymmetric jet is found to be stable and its velocity agrees with the theoretical prediction for this type of jet, however, a confinement causes instabilities to the jet. The confinement of the root canal has a pronounced influence on the flow, for both the axisymmetric and non-axisymmetric jet, by reducing the velocities by one order of magnitude and increasing the pressure at the apex. The non-axisymmetric jet inside the confinement shows a cascade of eddies with decreasing velocities, which at the apex does not provide adequate irrigation fluid refreshment.

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Abbreviations

u, v :

velocity in r and y direction

ρ:

fluid density

ν:

fluid dynamic viscosity

R, D :

jet radius, diameter

Q :

flow rate

\(Re = \frac{v D}{\nu}\) :

Reynolds number

d :

distance between the needle tip and the apex or wall

d stag :

distance from the plate or apex where stagnation flow holds

θ:

angle under which flow exits the needle

α:

(root canal) cone angle

μ:

eigenvalue of the stream function inside a cavity

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Gerrit de Bruin and Leen van Wijngaarden for their help in calculating the theoretical free jet flow profile. BV is funded through project number 07498 of the Dutch Technology Foundation STW; CB has a Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowship for Career Development.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Physics of Fluids Group, Faculty of Science and Technology and Institute for Biomedical Technology and Technical Medicine MIRA, University of Twente, Meander 213, P.O. Box 217, 7500AE, Enschede, The Netherlands

    B. Verhaagen, G. L. Heijnen & M. Versluis

  2. Physics of Fluids Group, Faculty of Science and Technology and MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, Meander 213, P.O. Box 217, 7500AE, Enschede, The Netherlands

    C. Boutsioukis

  3. Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Paul Sabatier University, 31062, Toulouse CEDEX 9, France

    L. W. M. van der Sluis

Authors
  1. B. Verhaagen
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  2. C. Boutsioukis
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  3. G. L. Heijnen
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  4. L. W. M. van der Sluis
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  5. M. Versluis
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Correspondence to B. Verhaagen.

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Verhaagen, B., Boutsioukis, C., Heijnen, G.L. et al. Role of the confinement of a root canal on jet impingement during endodontic irrigation. Exp Fluids 53, 1841–1853 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-012-1395-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00348-012-1395-0

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