An investigation of microleakage from root-end fillings in ultrasonic retrograde cavities with or without finishing: a quantitative analysis.

Objective: The aim of this study was to make a quantitative assessment of the sealing ability of Super-EBA, IRM, and Pro Root MTA root-end fillings subjected to 3 different finishing techniques.

Study Design: Eighty-one ultrasonically prepared root-end cavities in human canines were separated randomly into 3 test groups of 27 roots each. The cavities were filled with Super-EBA, IRM, or Pro Root MTA and finished by ball burnishing. Sequentially, 18 roots from each group received a final smoothing with either a 30-fluted tungsten carbide finishing bur or a Zekrya carbide 28-mm bur. Samples were prepared and immersed in 2% methylene blue dye neutral solution for 12 hours. Roots were ground into a powder and prepared for analysis in an absorbency spectrophotometer.

Results: The results revealed that Pro Root MTA displayed significantly less mean dye microleakage ( P < .05) than Super-EBA and IRM root-end fillings. The Super-EBA root-end fillings, although presenting a greater mean dye microleakage, did not differ significantly from IRM ( P > .05). The finishing technique did not significantly ( P > .05) affect the incidence of microleakage among the materials tested.

Conclusions: The favorable results obtained with MTA in leakage studies may be related to its good marginal adaptation. Spectrophotometric analysis may provide valuable information about the sealing capacity of root-end fillings. None of the procedures tested were able to avoid leakage, a finding that stresses the importance of the eradication of irritants within the root canal system.