This systematic review and meta-analysis was sought to assess whether intentional foraminal enlargement (IFE) is responsible for extrusion of a larger quantity of debris from extracted human teeth with fully formed apexes. Following the recommendations of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis -PRISMA, electronic and manual searches were performed to identify studies that evaluated the extrusion of debris, comparing different apical limits of instrumentation (with/without IFE). The quality of the studies selected was evaluated, and statistical analysis was conducted. To perform the meta-analysis, just 3 papers could be used. The heterogeneity was high, however; there was no statistically significant difference in relation to the extrusion of debris in teeth either submitted or not submitted to IFE. The general risk of bias was moderate. In conclusion, IFE is not responsible for extrusion of a larger quantity of debris from extracted human teeth with fully formed apexes.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.