Efficacy of Calcium Silicate Cement-based Sealer in Filling Lateral Root Canals: A Simulated Lateral Canal Study

To evaluate the filling capacity of calcium silicate cement-based or epoxy resin-based sealers in simulated lateral canals using different insertion techniques, through micro-computed tomography (μCT) analysis.

Forty human mandibular canines were instrumented with Reciproc R50 files, and two lateral canals were created in each root third (cervical, middle, and apical). An initial μCT scan was performed to determine the baseline volume of the lateral canals. The specimens were then randomly assigned to four groups (n = 10) based on the sealer type and insertion technique: AH-GPC (AH Plus Jet with insertion using a gutta-percha cone), BC-GPC (Bio-C Sealer with insertion using a gutta-percha cone), AH-AT (AH Plus Jet with insertion using an applicator tip), and BC-AT (Bio-C Sealer with insertion using an applicator tip). All specimens were obturated using the single-cone technique with an R50 cone. Following obturation, a second μCT scan was conducted for qualitative and quantitative analysis of the lateral canal filling, expressed as percentages and calculated by the difference between initial and final canal volumes. Data were statistically analyzed using three-way ANOVA with Tukey's posthoc test (P < .05), and qualitative scores were compared using the chi-square test (P < .05).

The BC-GPC and BC-AT groups demonstrated the highest filling percentages (90.5 ± 5.56% and 90.8 ± 6.65%, respectively). No significant differences were observed in the filling quality between the insertion techniques (P > .05). Qualitative analysis revealed that more than 50% of the lateral canals were filled across all groups, with no significant differences among groups or root thirds (P > .05).

Bio-C Sealer achieved superior lateral canal filling compared to AH Plus Jet, regardless of the insertion technique. The choice of insertion technique did not significantly influence the overall filling quality.