ABSTRACT
Background: This paper analyses the effects of root canal fragility and irrigation on external temperature change (ΔT) of different sections of roots during post-space preparation. Material and Methods: Forty endodontic treated human premolars were evaluated. Roots were divided into four groups based on their root wall thickness (fragile or non-fragile), and whether they received irrigation (yes or no) during post-space preparation. Initial root canal temperature was kept at 37°C. ∆T was evaluated with thermistors attached to the cervical and apical thirds of the roots during two preparation steps: 1) removal of gutta-percha with Largo drills, and 2) using the specific drill for post-space preparation for cementation of fiber-reinforced posts. In the irrigated groups, we used a 2% chlorhexidine solution during the exchange of drills. ∆T data was analyzed using four-way ANOVA with repeated measures and Tukey's test (α = 0.05). Results: Significant differences in ∆T based on root fragility (p = 0.017), root canal third (p = 0.013), and preparation step (p = 0.006). We found that non-fragile roots tended to have higher ∆T than fragile roots, particularly in the apical third, during the use of the second drill. Irrigation did not have a significant effect on temperature variation, regardless of root wall thickness or the third evaluated (p> 0.05). Conclusions: Findings suggest that root wall thickness and the third evaluated influence temperature changes during post-space preparation for cementation of posts. Non-fragile roots showed greater temperature variation than fragile roots, while irrigation did not significantly impact temperature changes. Key words:Temperature, post and core technique, tooth preparation.
