Sir, I read with fascination Drs Whitton and Brennan's article on tissue damage following extravasation of sodium hypochlorite during endodontic treatment (BDJ 2005; 198: 749).

It is unfortunate that the report does not include details of the type of syringe used for irrigation in this case. It is my opinion that extraradicular damage can be nearly completely prevented by using a dedicated endodontic syringe with a needle that has a cut away end, such as the Monojet 3cc Endo Syringe.

With this type of needle it is impossible to irrigate deeper than the depth of the needle. As long as the end of the 27 gauge needle is not jammed into the apex of the canal and there are no perforations present, irrigation with full strength hypochlorite is perfectly safe.