Yunus Emre ÇAKMAK, Damla ERKAL, Kürşat ER
Clinical and Experimental Health Sciences - 2026;16(2):372-380
Objective: To investigate the temperature-dependent dissolution kinetics of 5.25% sodium hypochlorite (SH) and 5.25% calcium hypochlorite (CH) using time to complete dissolution as the primary endpoint under static conditions. Methods: Standardized bovine pulp fragments (12 +/- 2 mg) were randomly allocated to distilled water (control), 5.25% SH, or 5.25% CH at 24-, 36-, or 60 dereceC (9 groups; n = 10; total n = 90). Each specimen was immersed in 1.5 mL of the assigned irrigant without agitation/activation for up to 30 min with fresh-solution renewal every 5 min to reduce solution exhaustion and temperature drift. Time to complete dissolution (no visible tissue remnant) was recorded; specimens not fully dissolved within 30 min were reweighed to calculate percentage dissolution and treated as censored observations. Results: Distilled water showed minimal weight loss (3.2-6.0%). Both hypochlorite solutions exhibited progressively faster dissolution with increasing temperature. At 36 dereceC, both SH and CH dissolved pulp tissue significantly faster than distilled water (both p < .05). At 60 dereceC, both SH and CH produced the most extensive dissolution, with mean mass loss approaching 97%; complete-dissolution events were likewise most frequent at this temperature. SH and CH demonstrated comparable dissolution behavior at matched temperatures. Conclusion: Under the present static laboratory conditions, higher target temperatures were associated with faster and more complete pulp tissue dissolution by hypochlorite irrigants.
