Corrosion behaviour of NiTi endodontic instruments

Abstract

The present study investigates the influence of the sterilisation treatment conducted at 50°C in 5% sodium hypochlorite solution (NaClO) on the corrosion behaviour of endodontic instruments made of NiTi (GT Rotary and K3) and stainless steel (K file) by measuring potentiodynamic polarisation curves in the same environment at 37°C. For comparison, the electrochemical characterisation was also carried out on endodontic instruments that were not sterilised. The characterisation of the sample surface after the electrochemical tests were carried out by means of scanning electron microscopy coupled with X-ray energy dispersive spectroscopy. There was no significant influence of the sterilisation treatment on the corrosion behaviour of K file and GT Rotary endodontic instruments. However, a negative influence of the sterilisation treatment on the corrosion resistance of K3 endodontic instruments was observed, and the effect appears to be more dramatic for longer sterlisation treatment periods.