Evaluation of Solvent Efficacy of the Myrciaria Dubia (Camu-camu) Essential Oil in Root Canal Re-treatment Procedures: An In Vitro Study

Aim: To evaluate the solvent efficacy of an experimental substance based on the Myrciaria dubia (camu-camu) essential oil in root canal re-treatment procedures. Materials and methods: Sixty polylactic acid tubes (PLA) were used and divided into five groups (distilled water, M. dubia oil (camu-camu), xylene, orange peel, and eucalyptus oil). In each group, 12 tubes were filled with a temporary restorative material (Coltosol®). The upper and the middle part were filled with gutta-percha. A total of 0.1 mL solvent was added depending on the study group and left for 5 minutes. Once the solvent was placed, the samples were taken to the Instron 3382 machine. The force used to penetrate the spreader into the 5 mm depth was recorded in Newton (N). The Kruskal–Wallis test and Dunn’s post hoc test were used for multiple comparisons (p < 0.05). Statistical analysis was performed using Stata® v.15.0 package. Results: We found significant statistical differences when comparing all solvents (p = 0.001), obtaining 14.02 N for the experimental substance. The results of the superficial dissolution depth and the force used to penetrate the spreader to 5 mm revealed that the M. dubia oil (camu-camu) was the solvent that significantly softened the gutta-percha the most (p < 0.05). These values were followed by xylene and orange peel oil. We also found that the solvent with the lowest efficacy was eucalyptus oil. Conclusion: The M. dubia (camu-camu) essential oil had more softening power than other solutions in the study. Clinical significance: The efficacy of the M. dubia (camu-camu) essential oil is relevant as it is a nonharmful solvent that would not harm the periapical tissue and would reduce the time of endodontic re-treatments procedures, which is beneficial for patients.