Cross-sectional assessment of apical dye penetration following clinical simulation of various endodontic techniques

This study compared apical leakage in mesial roots of mandibular molars that resulted from three different instrumentation/obturation techniques performed in a simulated clinical setting: hand instrumentation by nickel-titanium files followed by cold lateral condensation of gutta-percha/sealer; rotary instrumentation followed by the Microseal system of obturation with softened gutta-percha; and rotary instrumentation followed by obturation with the Thermafil system. Lateral condensation generally was measured superior to the Thermafil method for preventing apical dye penetration while no consistent statistical differences were seen between the lateral condensation and Microseal groups.