Etidronic acid as a chelating agent in root canal treatment: Review of the literature

Classical irrigating protocol has been to use NaOCl followed by chelating agent. Combination of irrigants is likely to form unwanted by-products. Etidronic acid was suggested as chelating agent that use with NaOCl without adversely effects.The aim of this review is to summarize and discuss the published papers focusing on the different outcomes regarding etidronic acid as a chelator agent.A literature search for relevant published articles on etidronic acid as a chelator agent in the context of endodontics with respect to cleanliness and erosion of dentin, smear layer removal, bond Strength of sealers, biofilm removal, torsional load on rotary instruments, and growth factors release using the most popular electronic databases:The total number of articles that reviewed in this study was 103 but 23 articles met the criteria of this study, Out of 23 studies 3 evaluated the impact of etidronic acid on cleanliness and erosion of dentin, 6 on smear layer removal, 6 on bond strength of sealer, 5 on biofilm removal, 1 on the torsional load on rotary instruments, and 2 on growth factors release.Etidronic acid can be combined with NaOCl without adversely effect. Continuous chelation protocol benefits RCT since it disinfects the root canal and removes the smear layer. It also improves the bond strength of sealer, reduces the torsional load on rotary instruments, and induces growth factor release.