Light-emitting Diode Assessment of Dentinal Defects after Root Canal Preparation with Profile, TRUShape, and WaveOne Gold Systems

• Root sectioning is a common in vitro method to evaluate the presence of dentinal defects after root canal instrumentation.
• The major drawback of this in vitro methodology is the possibility of having false-positive results caused by extraction forces, storage, and sectioning procedures.
• Light-emitting diode (LED) transillumination improved dentinal defect detection in uninstrumented roots. Under LED transillumination, instrumented and uninstrumented roots presented a similar number of defects.

IntroductionThe objective of this study was to use light-emitting diode (LED) transillumination to assess the presence of dentinal defects in roots instrumented with 3 different root canal preparation systems: ProFile (Dentsply Tulsa Dental Specialties, Tulsa, OK), TRUShape (Dentsply Tulsa Dental Specialties), and WaveOne Gold (Dentsply Tulsa Dental Specialties).MethodsEighty mesial roots of mandibular molars presenting 2 canals were randomly divided into 4 different groups (n = 20) as follows: the control group, no root canal preparation was performed; the ProFile group, root canals were prepared with nickel-titanium ProFile sizes 20.06 and 25.06; the TRUShape group, root canals were prepared with nickel-titanium rotary TRUShape instrument sizes 20.06 and 25.06; and the WaveOne Gold group, root canals were prepared with the reciprocating WaveOne Gold instrument #25.07. The specimens were sliced at 3, 6, and 9 mm from the apex with a low-speed saw under water cooling. Microscopic pictures of the specimens were taken with the aid of LED; the root canal space was masked, and 2 independent evaluators assessed the images for the assessment of dentinal defects. The number of dentinal defects was recorded, and the chi-square test was used for statistical analysis (P < .05).ResultsThe number of specimens presenting dentinal defects was as follows: the control group = 10, the ProFile group = 10, the TRUShape group = 13, and the WaveOne Gold group = 10.ConclusionsUsing the novel LED method, no difference in the visualization of dentinal defects was found among the ProFile, TRUShape, and WaveOne systems and the control group. Previous studies using the traditional sectioning method lack proper control and should be evaluated with caution.