Assessment of a Thermoplasticized Gutta-Percha Delivery System to Effectively Obturate Canals with Varying Preparation Dimensions

The purpose of this study was to measure the ability of a thermoplasticized-injectable (TPI) gutta-percha (GP) delivery system to fill a prepared root canal to working length and replicate intracanal defects (coronal, middle, apical) as a function of root canal preparations with varying lateral dimensions. Three split-tooth models with 0.06 taper and different apical gauge preparations, 0.30 mm (group A), 0.40 mm (group B), and 0.50 mm (group C), were used. Obturations were evaluated using an ordinal scale (0-4) based on how much each intracanal defect was replicated. Coronal and middle defects were completely replicated 100% of the time, regardless of the preparation. However, there was a significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) between apical defect replication with more accurate replication in groups B and C. There was also a significant difference (p ≤ 0.05) in working length replication; groups A and B, respectively, exhibited 1.20 and 0.52 mm mean underfill, and 0.52 mm mean extrusion was associated with group C. These results suggest group B with a 0.40-mm apical gauge preparation might yield better intracanal defect and working length replication when using TPI GP in the clinical situation.