Adhesion and formation of tags from MTA Fillapex compared with AH Plus® cement

ABSTRACT

Introduction and Objective: The aim of this study was two-fold 1) to evaluate, in vitro, the shear bond strength of two sealers by push-out test and 2) to assess the failures after displacement. Additionally, the formation of tags was observed by SEM. Material and methods: Forty mandibular premolars were selected and the canals were subjected to biomechanical preparation with rotary instruments. These specimens were divided into two groups according to the sealer (n = 20) GI - MTA Fillapex and GII - AH Plus. All roots were filled with sealer only, without gutta-percha. After a period corresponding to three times the setting time of the sealer, the roots were sectioned transversely into slices of 1 mm thickness, to obtain one slice from the cervical third, to be used in the push-out test. Following, two slices of each group were randomly chosen for ultrastructural analysis by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The data obtained in shear bond strength test were subjected to statistical analysis. Results: AH Plus cement exhibited higher shear bond strength values (1.332±0.75 MPa) than MTA Fillapex (0.071±0.07 MPa), with statistically significant differences. Conclusion: MTA Fillapex has a low bond strength with less formation of tags than AH Plus.