The Influence of Humidity on Intra-tubular Penetration and Bond Strength of AH Plus and MTA Fillapex: An in Vitro Study

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the influence of humidity on the intra-tubular penetration, bond strength and failure mode associated with AH Plus (AH) and MTA Fillapex (MTAF) sealers.Methods: For this analysis, an apparatus was created to maintain the humidity of the specimens. Sixty bovine single-rooted teeth with similar anatomy were used. The teeth were randomly divided into 4 groups (N=15): G1 - AH/moist, G2 - AH/dry, G3 - MTAF/moist and G4 - MTAF/dry. A laser scanning confocal microscope was used to analyse the penetrability of the sealers into the dentinal tubules. A push-out test was performed to examine the diameter and height of the root canal fillings. The failure mode was analysed under a stereomi- croscope at 40× magnification. The data were submitted to non-parametric Kruskal-Wallis and Dunn’s tests. The significance level was P