Calcium oxide, or quicklime, has been used as a disinfectant since time immemorial. Its use in modern endodontics dates back to France in the mid 1960’s. Calcium oxide would diffuse through the hidden, microscopic spaces of the root canal system, providing continuous disinfection throughout the structure of the dentin, and ultimately obturation, by hardening in place; in other words, a treatment for both the root canal and the dentin tubules. Commercially, Calcium oxide root canal material was manufactured and marketed for a long time by Spad Laboratories in France, under the name “Biocalex 6/9.” Biocalex was back to top discontinued in 2001, shortly after Spad was acquired by Dentsply. It is now manu-factured and sold by the Biodent company of Montreal, under the name “Endocal-10.”

Calcium Oxide as a root canal filling material represents an attempt to merge the well known disinfecting properties of calcium hydroxide with a hard setting obturating material. Calcium Oxide reacts with water to form Calcium hydroxide a very powerful a disinfectant and stimulator of tissue regeneration. Secondly, it reacts with carbon dioxide ambient in the cellular environment to form calcium carbonate, also known as limestone, a very hard sealing material. Calcium carbonate will form and remain insoluble only as long as the milieu is basic . So in an infected root canal, where the environment is acidic, Calcium Oxide will generate Ca(lcium Hydroxie to buffer and disinfect. When the infection comes under control and the fluids return to physiological pH, the reaction of Calcium Oxide turns to generation of calcium carbonate, and the material hardens in place. It’s a self–regulating system, a material that is both an active disinfectant and an obturator.

We offer Endocal-10 as a root canal filling material and we have experianced a great deal of success and patient comfort with this material.