Comparison of thermoplasticized gutta-percha root canal obturation technique to the lateral condensation

This in vitro study compared the quality of filling the root canal by the conventional lateral condensation technique to the fill by the commercially available thermoplasticized gutta-percha method. Subjective radiographic evaluation of density, presence of voids, and extent of fill were made for each of the 20 freshly extracted maxillary central incisors used for this study. Voids were noted in 10% of the laterally condensed canals, versus 40% of those obturated with the thermoplasticized gutta-percha. The mean time (in seconds) to obturate the canals with lateral condensation was 387 (s = 112); of the experimental was 145 (s = 23). We conclude that thermoplastisizing and injecting the gutta-percha into the root canal was a fast and a relatively easy technique, but the resultant filling was no more dense, and was shorter apically than the laterally condensed gutta-percha.