Date of Award

2012

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Endodontics

College

College of Dental Medicine

First Advisor

Joe W. Krayer

Second Advisor

Marc E. Levitan

Third Advisor

Joseph E. Assad

Abstract

Introduction: A common adverse effect using thermoplasticized obturators is overextension. A canal preparation allowing for predictable obturation length would be of clinical value. This study compared straight canals instrumented to a size 40 file using a 0.04 standardized taper preparation (STP) and a varied taper preparation (VTP) by evaluating the extension of two thermoplastic obturation systems: RealSeall ™ (RS-l) and Thermafil® Plus (TP). Methods: Eighty extracted mature human premolars with single straight canals were randomly divided into 4 experimental groups (n=20). Groups 1 and 2 were instrumented to size 40/04 at working length (WL) with STP. Groups 3 and 4 were instrumented to size 40/02 at WL with VTP. Groups 1 and 3 were obturated with RS-l and groups 2 and 4 were obturated with TP. All groups were obturated per manufacturer's instructions. Extension of material was evaluated and assessed ordinally. Statistically significant differences were determined by logistic regression with significance level set at P < .05. Results: Significant differences in extrusion existed between groups 2 and 4 when controlling for type of material (P = .026), and all groups for extrusion of TP compared to RS-l when controlling for type of preparation (P < .001). Conclusion: The results indicate that when filling with RS-l obturators the canal can be instrumented to a standardized or varied tapered canal preparation with a low likelihood of excessive extrusion. If the clinician prefers to use TP obturators, this study validates a VTP to decrease the occurrence of overextension.

Rights

All rights reserved. Copyright is held by the author.

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