Effect of sealer thickness on long-term sealing ability: a 2-year follow-up study

Long-term sealing ability of root-canal sealer is of clinical importance. We compared the performance of five sealers and a dentine bonding agent, at thicknesses of 0.05 mm (thin layer) and 0.3 mm (thick layer), in 212 standard human root specimens, before and after storage in water for 2 years. Thick layers of Roth and Pulp Canal Sealer EWT (PCS-EWT) allowed more leakage than did thin layers (P = 0.0000, 0.0358 for Roth and PCS-EWT, respectively) whereas no significant difference was found between the thin and thick layers for AH26, Ketac-Endo, Sealapex and J&J Bonding Agent. The pooled results of the thin and thick layers, which have clinical relevance, showed that after storing the specimens in water for 2 years, AH26, Sealapex, Ketac-Endo and PCS-EWT leaked more than before storage in water (P = 0.0008, 0.0000, 0.0035, 0.0257 for AH26, Sealapex, Ketac-Endo and PCS-EWT respectively), and that J&J Bonding Agent allowed less leakage and PCS-EWT more leakage than the other four sealers (P = 0.0000).