Francesco J. DeMayo
Muralidhar Mupparapu
| Francesco J. DeMayo | Muralidhar Mupparapu |
DeMayo, Francesco J., Mupparapu, Muralidhar
Faculty / Advisor: Mupparapu, Muralidhar
University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, Department of Oral Medicine
Clinical and radiographic healing of periapical lesions after root canal treatment with the endodontic GentleWave® System is poorly understood. We examined the available evidence for the clinical and radiographic success using the GentleWave® System in healing periapical lesions caused by endodontic infections.
MethodsPubMed and Google Scholar search engines were used to find potential studies for this review using the search terms/phrases “GentleWave” and “GentleWave Periapical”. A total of three prospective multicenter clinical cohort studies and one randomized control trial (RCT) were analyzed in this review.
ResultsThe three cohort studies examined displayed overall healing rates of 97.4%, 97.3%, and 97.7% after treatment with the GentleWave® System at 6 months, 12 months, and 12 months follow-up, respectively. The authors of these studies found that single visit endodontically treated teeth with this system were more successful and that favorable postoperative clinical symptoms, low PAI scores, mandibular molars displayed better healing rates. Improvements in mobility, soft tissue lesions, sinus tract, and furcation involvement were also observed at 12 months with one study finding a reduction in the periapical lesion size present in 97.7% of teeth examined. The randomized control trial displayed no significant difference in the incidence or intensity of pain when comparing standard endodontic treatment with the GentleWave® System.
ConclusionWhile the currently available evidence provides promising data for the success of the GentleWave® System use in endodontic treatment, the methodological limitations of the available studies require further research for validation of using this system in everyday endodontics.