Comparative evaluation of <i>Citrus limetta</i> peel extract and essential oils as natural solvents for gutta-percha dissolution: An <i>in vitro</i> study

Objectives: Giving a successful endodontic retreatment involves getting rid of all gutta-percha (GP) from the root canals. The traditional solvent chloroform is known for being toxic. More attention is being given to finding natural and biocompatible materials. This study hopes to see if sweet lime peel, eucalyptus, and orange oil are good natural alternatives to solvents in removing GP. Material and Methods: Sixty GP cones were chosen and split into four groups (15 cones in each group), namely control (with chloroform), Citrus limetta extract, eucalyptus oil, and orange oil. 5 min of exposure at 37°C was given to every cone by submerging them in 1 mL of solvent. When immersion was done, the cones were taken out, blotted, and weighed once again. The amount a material gained in weight was calculated to see how well it dissolved. Analysis of the data was completed using analysis of variance and Tukey’s multiple comparisons test ( P &lt; 0.05). Results: Chloroform produced the highest dissolved amount with 45.3 ± 1.5 mg, whereas eucalyptus oil came in second with 38.7 ± 2.1 mg, C. limetta extract was third with 34.2 ± 1.9 mg, and orange oil dissolved 31.6 ± 2.3 mg the most. Results from statistical analysis showed that all tested groups were different from one another. Eucalyptus oil demonstrated the highest rate of dissolution, followed by C. limetta among all herbal extracts. Conclusion: Compared to reliably used herbal products, the potential for C. limetta peel’s extract to dissolve GP is near to as that of eucalyptus oil and even higher than that of orange oil. Yet, more studies are required to show how practical this extract is in retreatment cases.