Sealing ability of Thermafil with and without sealer

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the apical sealing ability of root canals filled using three obturating techniques. Sixteen maxillary first molars were obturated with Thermafil, 16 with Thermafil and a ZOE sealer, and 16 with laterally condensed gutta-percha. Two canal instrumentation methods were used, conventional step-back preparation with K-Flex files and traditional instrumentation combining reaming with reamers and filing with K-Flex files. Following obturation, the teeth were prepared for evaluation of the seal using India ink and a Profile Projector. The depth of penetration of the dye was statistically evaluated for each of the three roots with an analysis of variance. For sealing ability, there was no significant difference at the p < 0.05 level between the conventional step-back preparation and the traditional instrumentation technique. However, a significant difference was present at the p < 0.05 level for the obturation techniques. The mean linear dye penetration for the Thermafil technique was greater than that for lateral condensation.