A comparative study between injectable low-temperature (70 degrees C) gutta-percha and silver amalgam as a retroseal

This study compared two different dental materials used in endodontic retrosealing procedures. One of these materials was a new low-temperature gutta-percha product, manufactured by the Hygenic Corporation, that involved an injection technique. The second of these materials was silver amalgam. Silver amalgam was selected because it has been recognized by many clinicians as the most effective apical sealing material. Two groups of ten recently extracted teeth were endodontically prepared with one of each of the materials being tested, and the effectiveness of these materials as sealants was determined by their ability to inhibit the penetration of methylene blue dye for a predetermined period of time through the apically sealed root tips. Preliminary results obtained indicated that, although these materials were not 100% effective in inhibiting the dye penetration, each was as effective as the other when evaluated by two observers following completion of the study as determined by its experimental design. No significant difference was exhibited between the amalgam group and the gutta-percha group. The leakage of the dye that was observed in each of the groups might have been caused by the ineffectiveness of, or the ineffective use of, the nail polish or cyanoacrylate used to coat all but the apically sealed tips of the endodonticalled prepared teeth. The function of these coating materials was to prevent penetration of the dye through the surface of the body of the root.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)