ABSTRACT
Objective@#This study aims to compare the incidence of dentinal microcracks produced by ProTaper Universal (PTU) and ProTaper Gold (PTG) file systems during root canal procedures in different curved canals using a dyeing technique.@*Methods@#Sixty extracted human molars were divided into 3 groups of 20 samples each in terms of root curvature (mild bending group, 10 °-19 °; moderate bending group, 20 °-29 °; severe bending group, 30 °-39 °). Ten samples of each group were then randomly allocated to the PTU and PTG file systems. After preparation, all roots were stained using a dyeing method and sectioned at the most curved plane and 2 mm below and above the most curved plane with a low-speed saw under cold water. A stereomicroscope was used to inspect dentinal microcracks at 60 × magnification, and differences between these three instrument groups were analyzed using the chi-square test.@* Results @# The PTG file system induced significantly fewer dentinal microcracks for total, incomplete and complete cracks (P < 0.05), and the effect was more obvious with increasing canal curvature.@*Conclusion @# With the limitations of this in vitro study, it can be concluded that ProTaper Gold can result in fewer dentinal microcracks than ProTaper Universal.