The efficacy of a cervical barrier in preventing microleakage of Enterococcus faecalis in endodontically treated...

The clinical failure of coronal restorations can compromise the healthy periapical status of endodontically treated teeth. The purpose of the present ex vivo study was to assess the effectiveness of the cervical barrier in preventing bacterial microleakage in the eventual loss of the coronal restoration. Following removal of the smear layer and obturation to the cementoenamel junction using gutta-percha, 70 single-rooted mandibular premolars were randomly divided into five different groups: Group 1 received no additional treatment; Groups 2 and 3 had 2 mm and 3 mm of the obturation removed, respectively, followed by placement of a cervical barrier that was the same thickness as the obturation. In Group 4 (positive control), the root canals were filled only with gutta-percha, while in Group 5 (negative control), the root canals were completely impermeabilized following obturation. The filled root canals were incorporated into a split-chamber model system using Enterococcus faecalis as a microbial marker. The apices were suspended in the lower chambers. Leakage was determined daily for 60 days and evaluated for turbidity. According to Fisher's exact test, the cervical barrier in Groups 2 and 3 prevented the microleakage of E. faecalis into the root canals when compared with Groups 1 and 4. This result was similar to that for the completely sealed samples in Group 5 (p = 0.001).