Cryotherapy as an adjunct to cleaning and shaping in endodontics: A review

Cryotherapy refers to treatments that are done at reduced temperatures. In the recent times, Cryotherapy has found use in the field of endodontics during root canal irrigation, primarily to reduce post-operative pain after non-surgical endodontic therapy. In this review, we are throwing some light over use of Cryotherapy in root canal irrigation, its clinical implications along with positive and negative side effects based on currently available literature. Vital pulp cryotherapy is a process in which sterile water ice shavings are applied on exposed pulp tissue. Cryogenic fluid, when used as an irrigant has shown efficacy in antibacterial action as it can reach the desired depth and bring about immediate freezing of bacterial cells along with their subsequent Cryodestruction. Use of cold saline solution (2.5⁰ C) as the final irrigant brings about reduction in external root surface temperature by more than 10⁰C for 4 minutes, which might be produce a local anti-inflammatory effect in the periradicular tissues. In addition, Various clinical and experimental studies have highlighted the role of Cryoirrigation in controlling post-operative pain after endodontic therapy.