Enterococcus faecalis type strain leakage through root canals filled with Gutta-Percha/AH plus or Resilon/Epiphany

Area of Science:

• Endodontics
• Microbiology

Background:

• Root canal filling materials are crucial for preventing bacterial microleakage.
• Gutta-percha with AH Plus sealer and Resilon with Epiphany resin sealer are common obturation systems.
• Understanding their comparative efficacy in preventing Enterococcus faecalis leakage is clinically relevant.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the in vitro bacterial leakage of Enterococcus faecalis through root canals filled with gutta-percha/AH Plus versus Resilon/Epiphany.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of these obturation systems in preventing microbial penetration.

Main Methods:

• Single-rooted human mandibular premolars were used for this in vitro study.
• Root canals were filled using the continuous wave of condensation technique with either gutta-percha/AH Plus or Resilon/Epiphany.
• Teeth were subjected to a bacterial leakage model using Enterococcus faecalis ATCC 29212 for 50 days.

Main Results:

• Kaplan-Meier analysis indicated a trend where gutta-percha/AH Plus demonstrated better leakage prevention than Resilon/Epiphany.
• This observed difference did not reach statistical significance (log-rank test, p = 0.141).
• The mean time for bacterial broth turbidity was 35 days for gutta-percha/AH Plus and 33 days for Resilon/Epiphany.

Conclusions:

• Within the limitations of this in vitro study, Resilon/Epiphany did not show a significant advantage over gutta-percha/AH Plus in preventing bacterial leakage.
• Further research may be needed to explore long-term outcomes and different clinical scenarios.