Efficacy of apical seal of Engine Plugger condensed root canal fillings--leakage to dyes.

A new rotatory instrument, the Engine Plugger, that is claimed to be less fragile than the McSpadden Compactor, has been introduced since the recognition of thermomechanical compaction as a valid technique for root canal filling. The purpose of this study was to test the efficacy of the apical seal afforded by the Engine Plugger in comparison with that of an established technique, lateral condensation. Eighty roots with round canals prepared to size 45 were randomly divided into two groups: one compacted with the Engine Plugger (Group 1) and the other with the lateral condensation technique (Group 2). AH-26 sealer was used in half the specimens. Four additional roots served as controls. The roots were cleared following immersion in Procion brilliant green, and the maximal depth of penetration of the dye was measured with a stereomicroscope. Severe leakage occurred in both groups when sealer was not used (mean depth: 3.17 mm in Group 1; 4.3 mm in Group 2). Addition of sealer reduced leakage significantly (p less than 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the depth of penetration of the dye between the two groups when AH-26 was used, although a trend in favor of the Engine Plugger method (0.15 mm versus 0.425 mm for lateral condensation) was noted.

RCT Entities:   Population Interventions Outcomes