Apical sealing ability of five endodontic sealers

Because apical leakage may be a cause of failure of endodontic treatment, the purpose of this study was to compare the apical seal provided by five endodontic sealers. After cleaning and shaping procedures, the root canals of 75 human cuspids were obturated by lateral condensation using gutta-percha and the following sealers: Kerr Pulp Canal Sealer EWT, Grossman's sealer, ThermaSeal, Sealer 26, and AH Plus. These root-filled teeth were then maintained at 37 degrees C and 100% humidity for two days. After immersion in a solution containing black India ink and fetal bovine serum for five days, the teeth were demineralised and rendered transparent. The extent of dye penetration was examined under a stereomicroscope. The results showed that Grossman's sealer exhibited significantly more leakage than the other sealers, except ThermaSeal. There was no significant difference between ThermaSeal and AH Plus. No significant differences were observed for Kerr Pulp Canal Sealer EWT when compared with either ThermaSeal or AH Plus. There was significantly less leakage for Sealer 26 when compared with the other sealers tested, except AH Plus.