A dye penetration study of retrofilling materials.

The apical sealing ability of amalgam, cold-burnished gutta-percha, amalgam with cavity varnish, and SuperEBA cement was evaluated in extracted human teeth. For each experimental group, the roots of 20 single-rooted teeth were sectioned from their crowns. Canals were cleaned, shaped, and obturated with vertically condensed warmed gutta-percha and Kerr Pulp Canal Sealer. Following apical preparation and placement of test materials, root ends were placed in 1% methylene blue dye for 2 wk, after which the roots were sectioned longitudinally, and linear measurements of dye penetration were recorded. Results demonstrated statistically less linear dye penetration in the test group sealed with amalgam and cavity varnish. Statistical differences were not detected among the other test groups.