Ten-month in vitro leakage study of a single-cone obturation system

The purpose of this study was to compare the in vitro sealing ability of the continuous wave of condensation technique using gutta-percha and an epoxy resin based sealer, AH Plus to the sealing ability of the single-cone, glass-ionomer-based Activ GP Precision Obturation System over 10 months. Fifty maxillary anterior teeth were randomly divided into 2 test groups (20 canals each) and 2 control groups (5 positive and 5 negative). All teeth were stored in 0.9% saline. Group 1 (GP) was prepared with rotary instruments and obturated with the continuous wave of condensation technique using gutta-percha and AH Plus sealer. Group 2 (Activ GP) was prepared with rotary instruments and obturated using the heatless, single-cone, glass-ionomer-based Activ GP Precision Obturation System. Each canal orifice was sealed with amalgam and stored for 10 months in 100% humidity at 37°C. Amalgam was removed and leakage was evaluated by fluid transport at 10 psi. The median leakage for Group 1 (GP) was 0.500 mm and Group 2 (Activ GP) was 18.865 mm. A Mann-Whitney Rank Sum test was used to evaluate the data and determine if a difference existed between the 2 groups. Under the conditions of this study, the Activ GP glass-ionomer-based single-cone obturation technique demonstrated statistically significant higher leakage rates than a continuous wave of condensation technique.