Surface finishing of unused rotary endodontic instruments: a SEM study.

During endodontic therapy, cleaning of root canals is performed using endodontic files and auxiliary chemical substances, and it is important that the endodontist be familiar with the instruments used in daily practice. This study evaluated, under scanning electron microscopy (SEM), the quality of the surface finishing of unused rotary endodontic instruments. Fifty sizes 20, 25 and 30 rotary files from different commercial brands (ProFile, Protaper, Race, Hero and K3 Endo) were removed directly from their packages and had their final 3 mm examined with a scanning electron microscope at x190 magnification with no previous preparation.