Importance of calcium hydroxide as intracanal medication

Authors

Keywords:

ENDODONCIA; HIDRÓXIDO DE CALCIO; TRATAMIENTO DEL CONDUCTO RADICULAR., ENDODONTICS; CALCIUM HYDROXIDE; ROOT CANAL THERAPY., ENDODONTIA; HIDRÓXIDO DE CÁLCIO; TRATAMENTO DO CANAL RADICULAR.

Abstract

Introduction: calcium hydroxide is widely used in endodontics for its antimicrobial, remineralizing, and anti - inflammatory properties, which promote healing and improve the prognosis of root canal treatments.

Objective: to describe the importance of calcium hydroxide as intracanal medication in endodontics.
Methods: a systematic review of the literature published between 2010 and 2024 was conducted, following the PRISMA methodology. The search was carried out in different databases, using related terms to develop the search algorithm, resorting to the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria to ensure methodological relevance and quality of the identified and selected sources for subsequent analysis.

Development: the reviewed evidence confirms that calcium hydroxide has a high pH that provides bactericidal action against resistant microorganisms, in addition to stimulating osteoblastic activity and apical repair. Efficacy in reducing postoperative pain is reported, although controversy persists due to limited clinical evidence. Its utility in cases of pulp necrosis, apical periodontitis, and teeth with incomplete root development is also highlighted, where it favors apical formation. Experimental studies show microbial reductions of over 90 %, while meta - analyses suggest additional benefits when combined with other therapies.

Conclusions: calcium hydroxide constitutes a versatile and effective material as intracanal medication. Its antimicrobial, remineralizing, and anti - inflammatory properties make it a key resource for optimizing endodontic treatments.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

1. Fernández Menéndez SF. Hidróxido de calcio como medicación intraconducto en endodoncia [Internet]. Santo Domingo de los Tsáchilas: Universidad San Gregorio de Portoviejo; 2023 [citado 05/02/2024]. Disponible en: http://repositorio.sangregorio.edu.ec/bitstream/123456789/3053/1/Hidr%C3%B3xido%20de%20calcio%20como%20medicaci%C3%B3n%20intraconducto%20en%20Endodoncia.pdf

2. Argüello Ramos KA, Cevallos García J, Cevallos García M. Aplicación del hidróxido de calcio analizando el grado de efectividad de tres técnicas de aplicación. Sinergias Educ [Internet]. 2022 [citado 05/02/2024]; 6(1): 1‑16. Disponible en: https://dialnet.unirioja.es/descarga/articulo/8966373.pdf

3. Renovato SR, Santana FR, Ferreira JM, Souza JB, Soares CJ, Estrela C. Effect of calcium hydroxide and endodontic irrigants on fibre post bond strength to root canal dentine. Int Endod J [Internet]. 2013 Aug [citado 05/02/2024]; 46(8):738-46. Disponible en: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23551247/

4. Ahmad MZ, Sadaf D, Merdad KA, Almohaimeed A, Onakpoya IJ. Calcium hydroxide as an intracanal medication for postoperative pain during primary root canal therapy: A systematic review and meta-analysis with trial sequential analysis of randomised controlled trials. J Evid Based Dent Pract [Internet]. 2022 Mar [citado 05/02/2024]; 22(1):101680. Disponible en: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35219466/

5. Ordinola-Zapata R, Noblett WC, Perez-Ron A, Ye Z, Vera J. Present status and future directions of intracanal medicaments. Int Endod J [Internet]. 2022 May [citado 05/02/2024]; 55(Suppl3): 613-636. Disponible en: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35322427/

6. Teoh YY, Athanassiadis B, Walsh LJ. Assessing Calcium Hydroxide Penetration. J Endod [Internet]. 2020 Sep [citado 05/02/2024]; 46(9): 1340. Disponible en: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32867923/

7. Ibrahim AM, Zakhary SY, Amin SAW. Calcium hydroxide intracanal medication effects on pain and flare-up: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Restor Dent Endod [Internet]. 2020 May 22 [citado 05/02/2024]; 45(3): e26. Disponible en: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32839707/

8. Barbosa-Ribeiro M, Arruda-Vasconcelos R, de-Jesus-Soares A, Zaia AA, Ferraz CCR, de Almeida JFA, et al. Effectiveness of calcium hydroxide-based intracanal medication on infectious/inflammatory contents in teeth with post-treatment apical periodontitis. Clin Oral Investig [Internet]. 2019 Jun [citado 05/02/2024]; 23(6): 2759-2766. Disponible en: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30367257/

9. Sadaf D, Ahmad MZ. CALCIUM HYDROXIDE (CA[OH]2) AS AN INTRACANAL MEDICATION MAY SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE ENDOTOXINS LEVEL FROM INFECTED TEETH. J Evid Based Dent Pract [Internet]. 2021 Sep [citado 05/02/2024]; 21(3): 101616. Disponible en: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34479677/

Downloads

Published

2025-12-16

How to Cite

1.
Muñoz Padilla MB, Villafuerte-Moya CA, Vega-Martínez VA. Importance of calcium hydroxide as intracanal medication. Rev Ciencias Médicas [Internet]. 2025 Dec. 16 [cited 2026 Jan. 3];29(1):e6975. Available from: https://revcmpinar.sld.cu/index.php/publicaciones/article/view/6975

Issue

Vol. 29 No. 1 (2025): Suplemento 1

Section

REVIEW ARTICLES

License

Copyright (c) 2025 María Belén Muñoz Padilla

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Authors who have publications with this journal agree to the following terms: Authors will retain their copyrights and grant the journal the right of first publication of their work, which will be publication of their work, which will be simultaneously subject to the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY-NC 4.0) that allows third parties to share the work as long as its author and first publication in this journal are indicated.

Authors may adopt other non-exclusive license agreements for distribution of the published version of the work (e.g.: deposit it in an institutional telematic archive or publish it in a volume). Likewise, and according to the recommendations of the Medical Sciences Editorial (ECIMED), authors must declare in each article their contribution according to the CRediT taxonomy (contributor roles). This taxonomy includes 14 roles, which can be used to represent the tasks typically performed by contributors in scientific academic production. It should be consulted in monograph) whenever initial publication in this journal is indicated. Authors are allowed and encouraged to disseminate their work through the Internet (e.g., in institutional telematic archives or on their web page) before and during the submission process, which may produce interesting exchanges and increase citations of the published work. (See The effect of open access). https://casrai.org/credit/