Intracanal Medication in Root Canal Disinfection

Considering that apical periodontitis is a disease caused primarily by microorganisms and/or their by-products infecting the root canal system, the key for the success of endodontic treatment and apical repair is infection control. Historically, different substances and medications have been used as intracanal medication between endodontic treatment sessions to assist in the control of microbial infection, including calcium hydroxide-based pastes, polyantibiotic pastes, formalin tricresol, camphorated para-monochlorophenol, and chlorhexidine alone or in combination with other substances. New techniques have been proposed to promote a synergic effect to the use of sodium hypochlorite during biomechanical canal preparation in permanent and primary teeth, among which Antimicrobial Photodynamic Therapy (aPDT) and Drug Delivery Systems (DDS) stand out. In endodontics, aPDT has been widely tested in-vitro and in-vivo for root canal disinfection as an adjuvant to the standard endodontic treatment, with promising and encouraging preliminary results.