Marginal Adaptation of Root-End Filling Materials

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the adaptation of different root-end filling materials to the walls of apical root-end cavities. Method: Apicoectomy and ultrasonic root-end preparation were performed on 24 palatal roots of maxillary molars maintained in 1% thymol after extraction. For the root-end filling phase, the roots were randomly assigned to 8 groups of three specimens each: G1 - amalgam, G2 - gutta-percha, G3 - ZOE (zinc oxide and eugenol), G4 - IRM (intermediate restorative material), G5 - N-Rickert, G6 - Ketac-CEM, G7 - Super EBA and G8 - MTA (mineral trioxide aggregate). The specimens were photographed under optical (OM) and scanning electron (SEM) microscopy at 50x and 150x magnifications, respectively. The results were analyzed by three calibrated examiners and scored as follows: 0- the root-end filling material is adapted to all walls of the apical cavity; 1- lack of adaptation of the root-end filling material to one or two walls of the apical cavity; 2 - lack of adaptation of the root-end filling material on three or more walls of the apical cavity). The obtained data were analyzed by the Kruskal-Wallis test. Results: The mean scores recorded for the groups were: Amalgam (OM – 1.22 and SEM – 2), Gutta-percha (OM – 1 and SEM – 2), ZOE (OM – 1 and SEM – 1.55), IRM (OM –2 and SEM – 2), N-Rickert (OM – 1.66 and SEM – 1.88), Ketac-CEM (OM – 1.66 and SEM – 1.88), Super-EBA (OM – 0.22 and SEM – 0.55) and MTA (OM – 0 and SEM – 0). There was statistically significant differences among the groups (p<0.01). Conclusion: The best results were obtained with MTA followed by Super-EBA. The other materials did not present good adaptation to the walls of the apical cavity after apicoectomy and ultrasonic root-end preparation.