A comparison of 5 gutta-percha obturation techniques to replicate canal defects

ObjectiveThe purpose of this study was to compare the ability of five different methods of compaction of thermoplasticized GP to replicate four artificially-created defects in the canal walls of an extracted tooth. One of the instruments tested was the EndoTwinn which was recently introduced to the U.S. market and can be used in both the warm lateral (WLC) and warm vertical compaction (WVC) techniques.Study DesignFour artificially-created defects were created in the dentinal walls of a split-tooth model which could be separated after each obturation and the obturation mass removed for visual evaluation. Twenty obturations were evaluated for each of the following techniques: Group 1, WLC without vibration using the EndoTwinn; Group 2, WLC with heat and vibration using the EndoTwinn; Group 3, WVC using the Elements Obturation System (EOS); Group 4, Injectable GP using the EOS; and Group 5, WVC using the EndoTwinn. Kruskal-Wallis statistic was used to determine statistically significant differences, pairwise comparisons were analyzed with the Mann Whitney statistic and a Bonferonni adjustment was made, where indicated.ResultsNonparametric analyses with appropriate Bonferroni adjustments indicated statistically significant results favoring Groups 2 and 4.ConclusionsThe EndoTwinn, in heat and vibration mode, and the EOS resulted in better replication of the defects than the other techniques.