title: Microhardness Properties of Mineral Trioxide Aggregate and Calcium-enriched Mixture Cement Plugs at Different Setting Conditions.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Providing an apical stop in open apex roots is one of the endodontic challenges. The aim of present study was to compare the surface hardness of both mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and calcium-enriched mixture (CEM) cement at different setting situations.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 40 freshly extracted human teeth with a single root and normal apex and no obvious caries or curvatures were selected. The teeth were sectioned horizontally from the cement enamel junction and 2 mm above the apex. Standard technique was administered for cleaning and shaping of the canals. Open apex root canal was prepared by using Peso reamer. The prepared teeth were randomly divided into four groups in which two groups were filled by MTA and the other groups were filled by CEM. White MTA and CEM cement plugs were prepared and condensed up to the apical end. In two groups, moistened paper point was placed in the canals and in the other group dried paper points was used. Vickers test was done to evaluate the microhardness and the collected data were analyzed by Kruskal-Wallis and three-way ANOVA tests using SPSS software version 18 at a significant level of 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The highest and lowest surface hardness was observed in CEM group at dried condition with 4 mm thickness indentation (145.10 ± 7.60 kg/mm(2)) and moist MTA group indented at 8 mm thickness (111.25 ± 5.37 kg/mm(2)). However, no significant difference was noticed (P > 0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Humidity condition might not influence the microhardness properties of both MTA and CEM cement apical plugs at different tested indentation thickness.
authors.affiliation: Associate Professor, Department of Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Mehdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tabrizizadeh
authors.affiliation: Post Graduate Student, Department of Endodontics, School of Dentistry, Shahid Sadoughi University Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Mahdi
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Dabbagh
authors.affiliation: Post Graduate Student, Department of Operative Dentistry, School of Dentistry, Shahid Sadoughi University Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.
authors.forename: Hamid
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Badrian
authors.affiliation: Dentistry Student, Dental Students Research Center, School of Dentistry, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Amin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Davoudi
keywords: Apexification; calcium-enriched mixture cement; microhardness; mineral trioxide aggregate