A comparative study of contact angles of four different root canal sealers

The present in vitro study was conducted with the aim of evaluating and comparing the contact angles of three different types of root canal sealers--Roth 801, AH26, and RSA RoekoSeal--with the contact angle of a newly developed silicone-based root canal filling material (Gutta-Flow) on dentin and gutta-percha surfaces at two different time periods. The contact angles were determined mathematically by measuring software and were calculated from base width and height of the droplet meniscus of each sealer. Under the conditions of this study, Roth 801 and AH26 recorded lower values of contact angles when root dentin surface was used as the substrate. RSA RoekoSeal and Gutta-Flow seem to spread similarly on dentin and gutta-percha surfaces, although the contact angles of these silicone-based sealers were found to be significantly higher than the contact angles of Roth 801 and AH26 sealers. According to these findings, it can be concluded that conventional root canal sealers (Roth 801 and AH26) may passively have the potential for better wettability of dentin and gutta-percha surfaces than that of silicone-based sealers (RSA RoekoSeal and Gutta-Flow). This fact means that Roth 801 and AH26 may have a better spreading capacity under clinical conditions on the root canal walls and gutta-percha surfaces. Application of a sufficient load during lateral or vertical compaction seems to be needed for RSA RoekoSeal and Gutta-Flow to satisfactorily wet gutta-percha and dentin under clinical conditions.