A Microcomputed Tomography-Based Comparison of Root Canal Filling Quality following Different Instrumentation and Obturation Techniques

Abstract

Objective: With a microcomputed tomography (microCT) imaging device, we aimed to quantitatively evaluate root canal fillings after commonly used endodontic procedures and also tested the suitability of microCT for this purpose. Materials and Methods: Eighty single roots were instrumented and obturated with gutta-percha and Tubli-Seal. They were divided into 4 groups of 20. The Hand groups were instrumented with hand files and filled with thermoplastic (Th) compaction and cold lateral (CL) condensation, i.e. Hand-Th and Hand-CL, respectively. The Rot groups, i.e. Rot-Th and Rot-CL, were instrumented with a rotary ProFile system and filled as above. The roots were scanned and 3-dimensional (3D) visualization was obtained. The number, size, percentage of volume and distribution of voids at the filling/dentine interface (i-voids) and voids surrounded by filling material (s-voids) were measured. Results: Canal fillings differed significantly with regard to the size of both types of voids and the average number of i-voids. All canals presented a low volume of voids. The highest percentage (0.69%) was found for i-voids in the Hand-CL group, while the lowest volume (0.11% for s-voids and 0.14% for i-voids) was in the Hand-Th canals. Apically, in the last 3 mm, i-voids were observed mainly in the Th groups, and s-voids occurred mostly in the coronal part of the canal filling in all cases. Conclusion: MicroCT was a useful tool for 3D quantitative evaluations of these root canal fillings. None of the root canal instrumentation and filling methods ensured void-free obturation. CL condensation produced mainly i-voids. With Th compaction, internal s-voids were particularly common, but there were mainly i-voids in the apical part.

Comparison of microtomography and optical coherence tomography on apical endodontic filling analysis

“…LC technique showed more and larger voids in average in comparison with the other techniques, corroborating the studies of Kierklo et al 3 and Ho et al 1 It is also noticed that voids created by LC technique are deeper and wider in average, probably owinge to the protocol of lateral adaptation of several gutta-percha cones with ISO-sized gauge. 24 However, as in the work of Zogheib et al 25 the voids found can be results of root filling procedures.…”

“…Computerized microtomography (µCT) represents a non-destructive method that generates root obturation images with histological correlation owing to its high 3D spatial resolution at the micrometric scale (~10 to 15 µm) and minimum artefacts. [2][3][4] Another non-destructive imaging method with similar micrometric resolution is optical coherence tomography (OCT). It consists of a non-radioactive method that uses a near infrared (780 to 1550 nm) and wideband (100 nm) light source, which results in a spatial resolution of the order of 10 µm or less, and real time 2D or 3D images with in vivo and in vitro application in dentistry.…”

Evaluation of microleakage in class V composite restorations using dye penetration and micro-CT

“…Therefore, the use of a micro-CT may not become a general tool to evaluate marginal integrity of present resin composites but an additional tool valuable in the future to address specific questions, such as volumetric changes associated with new types of restorative materials. Further research areas are the investigation of gap formations in ceramic restorations [23]; comparisons among different parameters such as restorative material, C-factor, and cavity design [27]; the investigation of root canal fillings [40][41][42], glassfiber posts [43], and implants in connection with periimplantitis [44]; and the adaptation of ceramics-fixed partial dentures [45,46].…”

A Micro-Computed Tomography Study of the Root Canal Morphology of Mandibular First Premolars in an Emirati Population

“…Detailed knowledge of the internal and external anatomy of a tooth is essential to performing successful endodontic procedures [16] , and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) offers a noninvasive reproducible technique for 3-dimensional (3-D) assessment of the root canal system and can be applied quantitatively and qualitatively [17] . Racial and/or regional predispositions contribute to the wide internal anatomic variations in mandibular first premolars.…”