The Impact of pH on the Piezoelectric Properties of Dentin in Root Canal Treated Teeth: Implications for Dental Materials and Oral Health.

Introduction: This study aimed to evaluate the impact of pH on the dentin piezoelectric response in root canal treated teeth.

Materials and methods: 30 extracted mandibular canines were selected by simple random sampling and based on specific inclusion criteria. The middle third of each root was cut into cubic specimens of approximately 2 mm x 2 mm x 4 mm. The prepared samples were soaked in 17% EDTA and 1% sodium hypochlorite for 1 minute. The sections were rinsed in distilled water, dried immediately, and then randomly allocated into three groups of ten each. Samples in each group were soaked in one of three solutions with pH 4.4, 7.4, or 10.4 for 5 min. A compression load was applied by a universal mechanical testing machine. The 8000-8-SM scanner detected the potential generated.

Results: No significant differences were observed among the groups when the force was applied vertical to the dentinal tubules (P > 0.05). However, all subgroups indicated significant differences when the force was applied along the dentinal tubules (P < 0.05). When the force was applied along to the tubules, the mean dentin piezoelectricity was higher in the alkaline, neutral, and acidic groups, respectively.

Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the piezoelectric properties of dentin in root canal treated (RCT) teeth can be influenced by variations in pH, depending on the direction of force applied to the dentinal tubules.