Comparative evaluation of penetration of sealers in dentinal tubules using passive ultrasonic irrigation and Erbium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet laser - A confocal laser scanning microscope study.

Abstract

Smear layer clearance and sealer penetration into dentinal tubules play a crucial role in root canal treatment. Hence, efficient irrigation is a crucial component of the root canal debridement. This in vitro study's objective was to assess the effectiveness of passive ultrasonic activation and Erbium: yttrium-aluminum-garnet (Er: YAG) laser-activated irrigation on irrigation solution penetration and sealer penetration into dentinal tubules. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the dentinal tubule penetration of epoxy resin-based sealer and bioceramic sealer after ultrasonic agitation and Er: YAG laser activation of the irrigant. This was an in vitro study. Extracted tooth samples (n = 42) into 06 groups (Group A-F) with 7 samples in each group. Postobturation transverse section was made and assessed under a confocal laser scanning microscope for the total dentinal tubule penetration area and recorded as the mean apical, middle, and coronal penetration. One-way analysis of variance test, followed by post hoc was used. The intergroup comparison showed that Group E and Group F have significantly more penetration as compared to the controls and ultrasonic irrigation, P < 0.001 and P < 0.01, respectively. Er: YAG laser with AH plus sealer has the highest penetration in all the sections of tooth, followed by CeraSeal sealer.