Calcium hydroxide can be applied as a hard setting cement, as a paste or as a powder/liquid mixture, depending on the treatment. Various proprietary brands are available, (Fig. 1), although ordinary calcium hydroxide powder BP may be purchased from a chemist and mixed with purified water. Because of the antibacterial effect of calcium hydroxide, it is not necessary to add a germicide. The advantages of using calcium hydroxide in this form are that variable consistencies may be mixed and a pH of about 12 is achieved, which is higher than that of proprietary brands.
Root canal sealers containing calcium hydroxide are available, and are discussed in Part 5.