Coronal and apical leakage among five endodontic sealers

Area of Science:

• Endodontics
• Dental Materials Science
• Microbiology

Background:

• Root canal sealers are critical for preventing coronal microleakage.
• Single-cone obturation is a widely used technique in endodontic treatment.
• Evaluating sealer performance is essential for long-term endodontic success.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare apical and coronal leakage of five root canal sealers.
• To assess leakage in single-canal teeth obturated with a single-cone technique.
• To determine the effectiveness of different sealers in preventing microleakage.

Main Methods:

• One hundred single-canal human teeth were endodontically treated and obturated using a single-cone technique.
• Teeth were assigned to five sealer groups (AH Plus, Pulp Canal Sealer, NeoSEALER Flo, EndoSequence BC, Super-Bond RC Sealer).
• Dye penetration (rhodamine B) was measured apically and coronally after seven days.

Main Results:

• Coronal leakage was consistently greater than apical leakage across all sealer groups.
• AH Plus exhibited the least apical (0.200 mm) and coronal (1.675 mm) leakage.
• Super-Bond RC Sealer showed the highest apical leakage (0.900 mm), and EndoSequence BC showed the highest coronal leakage (6.500 mm).

Conclusions:

• Coronal leakage is a significant concern in single-cone obturation, exceeding apical leakage.
• AH Plus demonstrated superior sealing ability compared to the other tested sealers.
• EndoSequence BC and Super-Bond RC Sealer showed compromised sealing performance, indicating potential for increased microleakage.