DYE INGRESS IN MOLARS - FURCATION TO CHAMBER FLOOR

An in vitro dye leakage study was performed to determine the incidence of patent furcal accessory canals following exposure of the pulp cham ber to 5.25% sodium hypochlorite. One hundred extracted molars were la beled, endodontically opened, and irrigated for 1 h at 5-min intervals . The external furcations were exposed to 0.5% basic fuchsin for 24 h. Patency was determined by dye presence on the chamber floor. Statisti cal analysis revealed that first and second molars, regardless of arch position or location, demonstrated a patent accessory canal at a rate of 57% +/- 19.6% in the furcal area. It was concluded that accessory canal exposure to 5.25% sodium hypochlorite in the furcal area of mola rs produced patency which was demonstrable via passive methods-no vacu um or injection pressures were utilized.