Lesion Healing After Regenerative Endodontic Treatment

Endodontics involves various therapeutic interventions for diagnosing, preventing, and managing pulpal and periradicular pathologies. Root canal treatment, a widely performed procedure, involves removing necrotic pulp tissue and replacing it with a root-filling material, but it limits the tooth's immune defense and regenerative capacity. In immature permanent teeth, pulpal damage can lead to incomplete root formation, increasing the risk of fractures. To address these challenges, regenerative endodontic procedures (REPs) promote tissue regeneration within the root canal using tissue engineering principles. Despite high success rates, REPs lack a standardized irrigation protocol. Current guidelines recommend using 17% EDTA after low-concentration NaOCl to reduce cytotoxicity and release bioactive molecules. Citric acid has shown promise in in vitro studies as an alternative chelating agent, but direct comparisons with EDTA in clinical settings remain limited. This study aims to bridge this gap by evaluating the long-term effects of EDTA and citric acid on clinical symptoms and lesion healing in REPs.