Phase-locked μPIV analysis of flow dynamics in a simulated root canal with different laser-activated irrigations

Purpose: To measure the dynamic characteristics of the flow field in a complex root canal model activated by two laser-activated irrigation (LAI) modalities at different activation energy outputs: photon-induced photoacoustic streaming (PIPS) and microshort pulse (MSP). Methods: A phase-locked micro-scale Particle Image Velocimetry (µPIV) system was employed to characterise the temporal variations of LAI-induced velocity fields in the root canal following a single laser pulse. The wall shear stress (WSS) in the lateral root canal was subsequently estimated from the phase-averaged velocity fields. Results: Both PIPS and MSP were able to generate the ‘breath mode’ of the irrigant current under all tested conditions. The transient irrigation flush in the root canal peaked at speeds close to 6 m/s. However, this intense flushing effect persisted for only about 2000 µs (or 3% of a single laser-pulse activation cycle). For MSP, the maximum WSS magnitude was approximately 3.08 Pa at an activation energy of E = 20 mJ/pulse, rising to 9.01 Pa at E = 50 mJ/pulse. In comparison, PIPS elevated the WSS to 10.63 Pa at E = 20 mJ/pulse. Conclusion: Elevating the activation energy can boost the peak flushing velocity and the maximum WSS, thereby enhancing irrigation efficiency. Given the same activation energy, PIPS outperforms MSP. Additionally, increasing the activation frequency may be an effective strategy to improve irrigation performance further.