title: Root-end filling with cement-based materials: An in vitro analysis of bacterial and dye microleakage.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  One ideal property of a root-end filling material is its apical sealing ability. The aim of this in vitro study was to assess bacterial and dye microleakage of white and gray mineral trioxide aggregate (WMTA and GMTA), Portland cement and calcium-enriched mixture (CEM) cement used as root-end filling material, and to assess the agreement between these two test methods.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-four single-rooted teeth were used. The roots were randomly divided into four study and two control groups. After decoronation, root canals were instrumented and filled with gutta-percha and AH26 sealer. Root-ends were resected 3 mm above the root-end and 3 mm deep cavities were prepared. Root-end cavities were filled with each material. Enterococcus faecalis and methylene blue dye were used for determination of bacterial and dye leakage respectively. Data were analyzed using Fisher's Exact Test, one-way ANOVA, Kaplan-Meier analysis, and Cohen's Kappa.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was 100% bacterial leakage in Portland cement and CEM cement, 58.3% in GMTA, and 91.7% in WMTA. GMTA showed significantly less bacterial leakage than Portland cement and CEM cement (P < 0.05). In those samples with leakage occurrence, times of observation of leakage were not significantly different; however, by survival analysis, the results of the GMTA group were significantly different from those of the CEM cement and Portland groups. The difference in complete dye leakage was not significant. There was poor agreement between dye and bacterial leakage methods.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  CEM cement provides leakage results comparable to other commonly used root-end filling materials such as WMTA.
authors.affiliation: Iranian Center for Endodontic Research, Dental Research Center, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kazem
authors.forename: Faranak
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mahjour
authors.forename: Omid
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Dianat
authors.forename: Saman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Fallahi
authors.forename: Mohammad
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jahankhah
keywords: Enterococcus faecalis; microleakage; mineral trioxide aggregate