GuttaCore Pink, Thermafil and Warm Vertically compacted gutta-percha retreatment: Time required and quantitative...

The goal of non-surgical treatment is to obtain an access to the root canal system in order to remove the previous filling. We analized 45 human single-canal roots, mesial roots of mandibular molars and distal roots of maxillary molars without previous endodontic treatment, fractures, resorptive defects or open apices. We evaluated the time required to retreat root canals obturated by a new generation of GuttaCore, GuttaCore Pink^®, compared to Thermafil^® and Warm Vertically compacted gutta-percha, by using ProTaper^® Retreatment and ProTaper^® Universal. Moreover, a quantitative analysis of residual filling material in the canal after retreating and shaping was performed. The Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn's test were used to determine significant differences. Our data show that the GuttaCore Pink^® can be removed from the root canal system in a lower amount of time compared to the Thermafil^®. Concerning the amount of residual filling material, there are no significant differences between the three groups.