title: Post preparation techniques and their effect on the apical seal.
abstract: It is accepted clinical procedure to extend post preparations to such a depth that 3 mm to 5 mm of gutta-percha remains at the apex of the tooth. Clinicians use numerous techniques to achieve this goal. This investigation quantitatively analyzed the effect of the method of gutta-percha removal on the apical seal and evaluated apical leakage in teeth with different levels of remaining gutta-percha. The methods evaluated included the GPX instrument, heated pluggers, and Gates-Glidden drills. Groups of 25 extracted teeth were prepared with each of the three methods leaving 3 mm or 5 mm of gutta-percha remaining apically. Spectrophotometry (optical density) was used to assess apical leakage. Significantly less leakage was observed with the heated plugger technique at the 3 mm and 5 mm levels when compared to the 3 mm and 5 mm levels in both the GPX and Gates-Glidden groups.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endodontics, University of Florida, College of Dentistry, Gainesville.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Haddix
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Mattison
authors.forename: C A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Shulman
authors.forename: F E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Pink
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003763:Dental Leakage / Q000209:etiology*; D006171:Gutta-Percha; D006801:Humans; D008751:Methylene Blue; D011176:Post and Core Technique / Q000295:instrumentation; D012388:Root Canal Irrigants / Q000008:administration & dosage; D012390:Root Canal Therapy / Q000295:instrumentation* / Q000379:methods; D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite / Q000008:administration & dosage; D013053:Spectrophotometry; D015035:Zinc Oxide-Eugenol Cement
chemical_list: D012388:Root Canal Irrigants; D015035:Zinc Oxide-Eugenol Cement; D006171:Gutta-Percha; D012973:Sodium Hypochlorite; D008751:Methylene Blue