The Efficacy of Traditional Versus Herbal Extracts Chelating Agents on Dentin Micro-hardness

Aim: To evaluate and compare the effectiveness of different chelating agents including EDTA, citric acid, green tea extract (Camellia sinensis, and chitosan on dentin micro-hardness.Materials and Methods: Fifty palatal roots of maxillary first molars were instrumented using ProTaper Next system and randomly divided into five groups (n = 10) according to the final irrigation protocol: Group A (NaOCl +distilled water - Negative control), Group B (17% EDTA-Positive control), Group C (10% citric acid), Group D (green tea extract), and Group E (0.2% chitosan nanoparticles). Dentin micro-hardness was measured using Vickers hardness tester. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and Tukey post-hoc test.Results: Micro-hardness test revealed There were significant differences between the groups in the coronal, middle, and apical sections of the root canal (p < 0.05), respectively. In the coronal section, group C showed higher VHN compared to group B (p < 0.05). No significant differences between other groups (p > 0.05). In the middle section, groups B and D exhibited lower VHN compared to A, C and E (p < 0.05). In the apical section, group B showed lower VHN compared to A, C,,D and E (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Citric acid demonstrated superior performance by maintaining higher dentin micro-hardness compared to conventional EDTA. This suggests its potential as a biocompatible alternative chelating agent in endodontic treatment. Citric acid and chitosan showed intermediate effectiveness, with citric acid maintaining better dentin hardness values compared to other groups.