Resilon: Assessment of Degraded Filling Material in Nonhealed Cases

The Resilon obturation system (Pentron Clinical Technologies, Wallingford, CT) was discontinued a few years after its introduction as an alternative to traditional gutta-percha and sealer. Ex vivo models support anecdotal reports of degraded Resilon filling material; however, there is no previous clinical report of this degradation. This may represent a significant health concern for the patient and contribute to a higher clinical failure rate of Resilon-obturated root canals. The aim of this study was to determine the proportion of Resilon degradation in nonhealed endodontic cases compared with gutta-percha and sealer.

Patients previously treated with Resilon or gutta-percha who had a nonhealed root canal that needed retreatment were enrolled. Upon access, the previous filling material was classified as either degraded or intact. If there was a lack of solid, dense material remaining within the canal confirmed by passively placing a size 15 K-file to the working length, the filling material was considered to be degraded.

The proportion of degradation between the 2 materials was statistically significant, with Resilon having a higher likelihood of degradation than gutta-percha in the bivariate analysis (P = .0003).

This clinical observational study indicates that Resilon has a higher rate of degradation when compared with gutta-percha in nonhealed cases.