The use of creams as an auxiliary aid in root canal preparation: A review

This paper is a literature review about the use of creams as auxiliary aids in root canal preparation. This practice was very common in the 70’s and 80’s and was almost abandoned in the 90’ because of the smear layer formation and the necessity of its removal for an efficient intracanal dressing and filling. Nowadays with the increased number of automated handpieces for root canal preparation, the use of creams is recommended in order to make the contact of the instrument with the canal walls easier because of the low cutting ability of these files. What is not known yet is if is it really effective on the anaerobic bacteria present in teeth with apical periodontitis.