title: A comparison of 5 gutta-percha obturation techniques to replicate canal defects.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to compare the ability of five different methods of compaction of thermoplasticized GP to replicate four artificially-created defects in the canal walls of an extracted tooth. One of the instruments tested was the EndoTwinn which was recently introduced to the U.S. market and can be used in both the warm lateral (WLC) and warm vertical compaction (WVC) techniques.
  
  
  METHODS
  Four artificially-created defects were created in the dentinal walls of a split-tooth model which could be separated after each obturation and the obturation mass removed for visual evaluation. Twenty obturations were evaluated for each of the following techniques: Group 1, WLC without vibration using the EndoTwinn; Group 2, WLC with heat and vibration using the EndoTwinn; Group 3, WVC using the Elements Obturation System (EOS); Group 4, Injectable GP using the EOS; and Group 5, WVC using the EndoTwinn. Kruskal-Wallis statistic was used to determine statistically significant differences, pairwise comparisons were analyzed with the Mann Whitney statistic and a Bonferonni adjustment was made, where indicated.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Nonparametric analyses with appropriate Bonferroni adjustments indicated statistically significant results favoring Groups 2 and 4.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The EndoTwinn, in heat and vibration mode, and the EOS resulted in better replication of the defects than the other techniques.
authors.affiliation: Postgraduate Endodontics, Department of Endodontics, University of Missouri-Kansas City, School of Dentistry, Kansas City, MO 64108, USA. kulildj@umkc.edu
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kulild
authors.forename: Charles
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dryden
authors.forename: Jake
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Collins
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Feil
mesh_terms: D006171:Gutta-Percha / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006358:Hot Temperature; D006801:Humans; D008153:Lubrication; D015588:Observer Variation; D012387:Root Canal Filling Materials / Q000737:chemistry / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012389:Root Canal Obturation / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods*; D012825:Silicon / Q000627:therapeutic use; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D014092:Tooth Root / Q000033:anatomy & histology*; D014732:Vibration
chemical_list: D012387:Root Canal Filling Materials; D006171:Gutta-Percha; D012825:Silicon