Influence of obturation technique on penetration depth and adaptation of a bioceramic root canal sealer

AIM: Evaluation of the impact of three different obturation techniques on the penetration depth and adaptation of a bioceramic root canal sealer(BioRoot RCS) to root dentin using scanning electron microscope and confocal laser scanning microscope. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Recently extracted ninety mandibular premolar teeth of similar dimensions (±0.2 mm) with single canals and straight roots were segregated into three experimental groups (n = 30 each) based on the method of obturation used, i.e., lateral compaction technique, warm vertical compaction technique, and injectable thermoplasticized technique. After obturation, half of the root samples (n = 15) in each group were sectioned horizontally by hard tissue microtome at 3, 6, and 9 mm, respectively, from root apex for measuring sealer penetration depth with a confocal laser scanning microscope. Longitudinal sections of the samples (n = 15) were used for measuring the adaptation of sealers to radicular dentin using a scanning electron microscope. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Intergroup comparison of sealer penetration depth and adaptation to root dentin was analyzed using one-way ANOVA, and pairwise comparisons were made using Tukey's post hoc test. RESULTS: Warm vertical condensation technique showed deeper root dentin penetration of the sealer. Better adaptation of the sealer to apical root dentin with minimal voids (P ≤ 0.05) was achieved with warm vertical condensation in comparison to the injectable gutta-percha method and lateral condensation obturating techniques. CONCLUSION: At all three root levels (coronal, middle, and apical), warm vertical condensation technique exhibited more sealer penetration with minimum gaps, whereas lateral condensation technique exhibited more gaps and less sealer penetration.