Assessing apical transportation in curved canals: comparison between cross-sections and micro-computed tomography

Area of Science:

• Endodontics
• Dental Materials Science
• Radiology

Background:

• Assessing apical transportation is crucial for evaluating root canal preparation efficacy.
• Traditional cross-sectioning methods can be destructive and may not accurately reflect in vivo conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the accuracy and efficacy of micro-computed tomography (µCT) versus cross-sections for evaluating apical transportation.
• To assess apical transportation using two rotary instrumentation systems: Twisted File (TF) and EndoSequence (ES).

Main Methods:

• Thirty mandibular molars were divided into two groups for cross-sectioning and µCT analysis.
• Teeth were scanned before and after instrumentation with TF and ES systems.
• Apical transportation was measured at 2.0, 3.5, and 5.0 mm from the apex using both methods.

Main Results:

• Both TF and ES instruments showed minimal deviation from the root canal center, with no significant difference between them.
• The µCT method (0.056 mm) yielded significantly lower canal transportation measurements than the cross-section method (0.089 mm).

Conclusions:

• Micro-computed tomography (µCT) is a more accurate and less destructive method for assessing apical transportation than cross-sections.
• The findings suggest that both TF and ES rotary systems exhibit favorable canal centering ability.