In vitro Interrelationship between Apical Fill and Apical Leakage Using Three Different Obturation Techniques.

AIM AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the apical fill in relation to apical leakage using three different obturating techniques - Single Cone, Ultrafil 3D, and lateral condensation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-six mandibular single-rooted premolar teeth were selected and were randomly assigned into three different groups of obturating techniques. The canals were prepared using 0.4/25 HyFlex CM (Coltene Endo) rotary system file and obturated with corresponding HyFlex CM Single Cone, Ultrafil 3D injectable technique, and lateral condensation. AH Plus (Dentsply, Detrey) has been used as the sealer. Twenty teeth each were assigned to the three experimental groups, and six teeth were used as positive and negative controls (3 in each group). Fluid filtration technique was used to determine the amount of apical leakage. The evaluation was done for 8 min at the interval of every 2 min. The same teeth were sectioned and a spectroscopic examination was done at 2 mm and 4 mm distance from the apices. The obtained data were statistically analyzed using analysis of variance test followed by post hoc turkeys test for multiple comparisons. RESULTS: The mean apical leakage was maximum for lateral condensation when compared to the Single Cone and Ultrafil 3D. The amount of apical fill at 2 mm and at 4 mm was found to be more in the Single Cone than the other two techniques. CONCLUSION: The present study concluded that Single Cone obturation technique exhibited more gutta-percha filled area in the canal which led to decreased apical leakage than Ultrafil 3D and lateral condensation techniques, proving to be more effective in achieving a complete three-dimensional apical seal.

Comparative evaluation and effect of organic and inorganic fluoride dentifrices on enamel microhardness: An in vitro study.

AIM: To compare and evaluate the microhardness of enamel surface after the application of organic fluoride and inorganic fluoride dentifrices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twenty freshly extracted premolars were collected and decoronation of all the teeth was done at cementoenamel junction. The crowns were sectioned mesiodistally into two halves with the help of diamond disc, and then the subsequent forty samples kept in 1% citric acid for the demineralization and divided into two groups by simple randomization, that is, Group A (inorganic sodium fluoride dentifrice) and Group B (organic amine fluoride dentifrice). They were treated using same protocol for 3 min, daily twice for 7 days. Those samples preserved in artificial saliva in between treatment. The enamel surface microhardness evaluated using Vickers hardness test at base level, after demineralization, as well as after remineralization. Statistical analysis of surface microhardness obtained at different stages done by Student's t-test and P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The samples which were treated with sodium fluoride (Group A) could not restore the mean microhardness after treatment to that of preoperative level whereas amine fluoride (Group B) treated samples showed a statistically significant increase in mean surface microhardness from baseline. CONCLUSION: Organic fluoride (amine fluoride) remineralization was more effective in restoring enamel microhardness than inorganic fluoride (sodium fluoride) remineralization.