Introduction: This in vitro study evaluated the temperature increases on the root surface of teeth during preparation of post space with and without water cooling.
Methods: Thirty premolar teeth with a single canal were used. After root canal obturation, the teeth were divided into 2 groups, and post spaces were prepared by using a drill without cooling (dry group) and with water irrigation of 25 mL/min(-1) (wet group). Temperatures were measured on the entire root surface by using a thermal imaging camera.
Results: Root surface temperature increases were significantly lower when post spaces were created with water cooling compared with dry post preparation (P < .0001 for root canal filling removal and P < .0001 for post space preparation). In both groups, significantly higher temperatures were recorded during the post space preparation than during the filling removal (P < .001 for nonirrigated teeth and P < .001 for irrigated teeth).
Conclusions: Irrigation during post space preparation significantly influenced the outer root surface temperature. The risk of irreversible injury to the root surrounding tissues is potentially minimized when post space is prepared by using water cooling.
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