Thermography Imaging for Evaluating the Effectiveness and Safety of Intracanal Cryotherapy in Porcine Models

Abstract

The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of intracanal cryotherapy in porcine models using thermography. Five porcine mandibles with the premolars and molars are selected. Muscles, gingiva and mucosa are retained. Endodontic preparation is done, and the jaws are annealed. Thermal imaging is conducted throughout the experiments, at a set photography interval of 15 s using ThermaCAM FLIR infrared camera. The irrigation protocol is performed with 2.5 °C 0.9% NaCl for 5 min with different volumes of irrigants – 5 mL, 10 mL, 15 mL. The irrigants are delivered using the macro cannula and the handpiece of the EndoVac system. The thermal images show the cooling of the teeth and the adjacent structures – muscles, gingiva and mucosa in the course of the experiment. The lowest temperature values reached are more than 10 °C lower than the initial values, which proves the effectiveness of the intracanal cryotherapy. The reported minimal variations (1—2 °C) in temperature values on the gingiva during intracanal cryotherapy make the method safe for use in the oral cavity. The ease of visualization makes thermal imaging a method that can be successfully applied in in vivo settings where the use of thermal sensors is impossible. Thermography is an easy, noninvasive and accurate method which can successfully be used in dental medicine.