An evaluation of the apical seal in oval-shaped root canals prepared with either self- adjusting files or protaper files

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the apical seal obtained with lateral compaction of gutta-percha in oval-shaped root canals prepared with either self-adjusting files or ProTaper Universal rotary files. Materials and Methods: Twelve pairs of extracted mandibular premolars with oval-shaped root canals were randomly divided into two groups. The first group was biomechanically prepared with ProTaper Universal files, while the self-adjusting file system was used in the second group. The roots were better filled using cold lateral compaction of gutta-percha. Apical microleakage was measured with the computerized fluid filtration method. The results were analyzed statistically using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: All of the roots in both groups showed leakage. Group 1 demonstrated significantly less microleakage (p