Blue Thermomechanical Treatment Optimizes Fatigue Resistance and Flexibility of the Reciproc Files

Abstract

IntroductionThe aim of the present study was to evaluate the influence of Blue thermal treatment on the bending resistance and cyclic fatigue of conventional M-Wire Reciproc files (VDW, Munich, Germany). The roughness pattern and the microhardness of the files were also assessed. MethodsFlexibility of standard Reciproc R25 files and the corresponding Blue prototypes was determined by 45° bending tests according to the ISO 3630-1 specification. Instruments were also subjected to cyclic fatigue resistance, measuring the time to fracture in an artificial stainless steel canal with a 60° angle and a 5-mm radius of curvature. The fracture surface of all fragments was examined with a scanning electron microscope. The roughness of the working parts was quantified by using a profilometer, and the microhardness test was performed using the Vickers hardness tester. Results were statistically analyzed using the Student t test with a level of significance set at P < .05. ResultsReciproc Blue instruments presented a significantly longer cyclic fatigue life and significantly lower bending resistance than the original Reciproc instrument (P < .05). Regarding the roughness pattern, there was no significant difference between Reciproc Blue and the original Reciproc instruments (P > .05), whereas Reciproc Blue revealed significantly lower microhardness than the original Reciproc instrument (P < .05). ConclusionsReciproc Blue nickel-titanium showed improved all-around performance when compared with conventional M-Wire superelastic nickel-titanium, demonstrating improved flexibility and fatigue resistance, and reduced microhardness while maintaining similar characteristics of the surface.