On the Causality Between Dentinal Defects and Root Canal Preparation: A Micro-CT Assessment

Area of Science:

• Endodontics
• Dental Materials Science

Background:

• Dentinal defects can compromise root canal treatment outcomes.
• The ProTaper Universal (PTU) system is widely used for root canal preparation.
• Understanding the potential for iatrogenic damage is crucial for endodontic procedures.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the cause-effect relationship between ProTaper Universal (PTU) instrumentation and the formation of dentinal defects.
• To evaluate the efficacy of micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) in detecting these defects before and after preparation.

Main Methods:

• Forty mandibular molars with type II Vertucci configurations were analyzed using micro-CT.
• Mesial canals were instrumented with the PTU system up to F2.
• Specimens were scanned pre- and post-preparation; control group slices were examined with optical microscopy and micro-CT.

Main Results:

• Dentinal defects were observed in 24.04% of slices in the experimental group.
• All detected defects pre-existed instrumentation, with no new defects induced by PTU.
• Micro-CT demonstrated high reliability in defect detection, comparable to optical microscopy.

Conclusions:

• Root canal preparation using the ProTaper Universal system does not induce new dentinal defects.
• Micro-CT is a reliable tool for visualizing and tracking dentinal defects in endodontic research.