Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate, in vitro, the cleaning capacity and time needed for instrumentation of root canals of deciduous molars by manual and rotary instrumentation.
Methods: Thirty-three deciduous molar root canals were injected with India ink and divided into 3 groups: group I--the root canal instrumented manually with K files; group II--the root canal instrumented with rotary Profile .04 instruments; group III--control group, (ie, root canals not instrumented). Instrumentation time was recorded. The teeth were cleared and the removal of India ink was measured in the cervical, middle, and apical thirds.
Results: There was no significant difference for cleaning capacity between manual and rotary techniques in the 3 root thirds (P>.05), but both techniques were different from the control group (P<.001). Significantly less time was needed for instrumentation with the rotary technique (3.46 minutes) than with the manual technique (9.06 minutes).
Conclusions: Although no differences were found for cleaning capacity, the reduction of instrumentation time by the rotary technique was a relevant clinical factor for endodontic treatment.