The effect of chlorhexidine irrigation on the bond strength between resin-bonded root canal fillings and dentin: A review

Aim: The aim of this article was to review the effect of chlorhexidine (CHX) against other irrigants on the bond strength between resin-bonded root canal fillings and dentin. Materials and methods: A literature analysis was performed using the Web of science core collection, Biosis citation index, Biosis preview and Medline electronic databases (articles published in English up to 8 May 2014) with the search terms and combinations as follows: 'chlorhexidine AND dentin OR sealer OR root canal filling OR bond strength'. Publications were included if the effects of chlorhexidine irrigation on the bond strength between bonded root canal fillings and dentin were stated and if other irrigants were compared. Results: The search identified 1296 publications of which eight fulfilled the review's inclusion criteria. Conclusions: The effect of using CHX as an irrigant depends on the other preparations used as part of the irrigation protocol. The available data suggests that a final CHX irrigant enhances dentin bond strength if sodium hypochlorite is the main irrigant, and when CHX gel is used together with phosphoric acid. There is, however, insufficient data to enable a sound conclusion to be reached regarding the effect of CHX as a main irrigant. Keywords: bond strength, chlorhexidine, resin-bonded, root canal filling, root canal irrigation