Odontopaste

Odontopaste is a zinc oxide-based root canal paste with 5% clindamycin hydrochloride and 1% triamcinolone acetonide. It was designed and developed in Australia. It offers the benefits of a zinc oxide paste with a bacteriostatic antibiotic preservative. Together they act to temporarily obturate a root canal and prevent bacterial repopulation both within the root canal and the paste itself. In addition, a steroid is present to temporarily reduce inflammation. The steroid, triamcinolone acetonide, is useful for the transient reduction of postoperative pain.

Odontopaste is not designed to eliminate all the bacteria within a root canal. If the elimination of bacteria is the aim then ADM's Odontocide is the medicament of choice.

When using Odontopaste it is therefore important to continue using the standard protocols for root canal preparation whereby EDTA and sodium hypochlorite rinses are performed.

The mixing of additional calcium hydroxide in a 50:50 combination with Odontopaste is not recommended as the steroid component is destroyed immediately by the increased alkalinity and it offers only minimal benefits over the use of calcium hydroxide alone. Odontopaste contains calcium hydroxide but only at a 0.5% level which has been proven to be optimal for the preservation of the steroid component.

Odontopaste does not stain teeth, hence, no bleaching is required following its use. Odontopaste is available in an 8 gram tube.