Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42275748›Full record

ArticleInternational dental journal2026

Potential of Trichloroacetic Acid in Smear Layer and Calcium Hydroxide Removal in Root Canals-Exploratory Pilot Studies In Vitro.

Eulogio Munoz, Andrew B Benbow, Jon-Brighton C Russell, Brian R Morrow, Terrell F Pannkuk, Bingchang Xin, George T-J Huang

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Article in International dental journal, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Eulogio MunozDepartment of Endodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Andrew B BenbowDepartment of Endodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Jon-Brighton C RussellDepartment of Endodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Brian R MorrowDepartment of Bioscience Research, College of Dentistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA.
Terrell F PannkukPrivate practice, Santa Barbara, California, USA.
Bingchang XinDepartment of Bioscience Research, College of Dentistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Department of Cariology and Endodontology, Qingdao Stomatological Hospital Affiliated to Qingdao University, Qingdao, Shandong, China.
George T-J HuangDepartment of Endodontics, College of Dentistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Department of Bioscience Research, College of Dentistry, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA; Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, University of Tennessee Health Science Center, Memphis, Tennessee, USA. Electronic address: gtjhuang@uthsc.edu.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

INTRODUCTION AND

aimsThis study investigated whether trichloroacetic acid (TCA) can function as an adjuvant solution to facilitate pulp dissolution and removal of smear layer and calcium hydroxide (Ca(OH)

methodsFor pulp dissolution studies, fresh pulp was weighed before and after immersion in 90% TCA and/or 6% NaOCl. For smear layer or Ca(OH)

resultsUnder our experimental conditions, NaOCl alone consistently dissolved more pulp than TCA at all time points (1, 3, and 5 minutes) under static conditions at RT (P < .01 or < .001). Some TCA groups had significantly less smear layer than the saline or EDTA group in the coronal and middle thirds (P < .05 to < .001). In the apical third, there was significantly less smear layer in the TCA 15-second group than the control or EDTA group (P < .01 or P < .001). In Ca(OH)

conclusionThese findings warrant further studies with a larger sample size to validate the potential use of TCA as an adjunctive agent to facilitate smear layer and Ca(OH)₂ removal from root canal walls, CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This is the first study to evaluate whether TCA can be used as an adjunctive endodontic irrigant. Our findings suggest that a brief treatment with TCA is more effective than EDTA for canal smear layer removal and may facilitate Ca(OH)

Indexed as

Calcium HydroxideDental Pulp CavityRoot Canal IrrigantsSmear LayerTrichloroacetic AcidEdetic AcidHumansIn Vitro TechniquesMicroscopy, Electron, ScanningPilot ProjectsRoot Canal PreparationSodium HypochloriteCalcium HydroxideEdetic AcidRoot Canal IrrigantsSodium HypochloriteTrichloroacetic AcidCalcium hydroxidePulp dissolutionScanning electron microscopySmear layerSodium hypochloriteSpectrum analysisTrichloroacetic acid

Identifiers

PMID42275748
PMCPMC13276554

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.