The Application of Alkali-ion Water to Root Canal Irrigation : Cytotoxicity and Organic Material-dissolving Capacity Test

Abstract

This study was carried out to examine the possibility of using alkali-ion water for root canal irrigation. The biocompatibility of alkali-ion water was tested by assessing its effect on mitogenic activity of cultured human pulp fibroblast cells. In addition, a cytotoxicity assay was also conducted using rat lymphocytes, which were more easily damaged than human pulp fibroblast cells. In addition, the organic material-dissolving capacity of alkali-ion water was evaluated. The numbers of living cells (rat lymphocytes and human pulp fibroblast cells) did not significantly differ between the control (physiological saline) group and the alkali-ion water group. Furthermore, cytotoxicity experiments showed no significant differences between the control and alkali-ion water groups. However, alkali-ion water showed significantly increased organic materialdissolving capacity compared with the control. These results indicate that the alkali-ion water is sufficiently safe and useful for clinical application of root canal treatment.