Effectiveness of different obturation techniques in surpassing the ledge formed in simulated curved canals

ABSTRACT

Aim: To compare the effectiveness of different obturation techniques in surpassing the ledgeformed in simulated curved root canals. Methods: Eighty acrylic-resin blocks with curved canalswere instrumented with Gates-Glidden drills to simulate a ledge formation. Then, a K-File #10 wasused for trying to surpass the deviation, and the blocks that permitted surpassing were rejected.The remaining blocks were divided into 4 groups according to the obturation technique lateralcondensation, Tagger’s Hybrid technique, Thermafil and System B. The blocks had their imagesdigitalized using a scanner before and after the obturation procedures. The images were analyzedwith Image Tool 3.0 software. Statistical analysis was performed by one-way ANOVA at a significantlevel of 5%. Results: The System B resulted in the highest obturated area (p<0.001). Therewere no significant differences between the Tagger’s Hybrid technique and Thermafil systemregarding the effectiveness in surpassing ledge (p>0.05). The lateral condensation resulted in theworst ability in filling the ledge space (p<0.001). Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study,it was possible to conclude that techniques using heat condensation or gutta-perchathermoplastification were more effective in surpassing the ledge formed in curved canals than thelateral condensation.