BMC Oral Health. 2025 Dec 5;25(1):1879. doi: 10.1186/s12903-025-07272-9.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Ultrasonic activation may alter the bond strength and intratubular penetration ability of root canal sealers, which are important criteria for the long-term success of root canal treatment. The aim of this study was to compare the effect of mediated ultrasonic activation in the push-out bond strength and intratubular penetration values of epoxy resin- and silicate-based root canal sealers.
METHODS: One hundred and sixty human mandibular premolar teeth were used. The teeth were divided into two groups for bond strength and tubular penetration tests and further divided into four subgroups for obturation and ultrasonic activation (n = 20). Chemo-mechanical preparation of the root canals was performed with a Mtwo rotary instrument system accompanied by NaOCl irrigation up to #40/0.04 apical size. The root canals were filled with NeoMTA Plus or AH Plus sealers using the single cone technique. Gutta-percha-mediated ultrasonic activation was applied during obturation in one group of each sealer. Three horizontal sections were taken from the apical, middle and coronal regions of the roots. The sections were subjected to push-out bond strength tests and intratubular penetration analysis with a confocal laser scanning microscope. Failure modes were recorded after the bond strength test. Statistical differences between sealers were compared with the Mann-Whitney U test, and regional pairwise comparisons were made with the Friedman test. Bonferroni corrections were applied when necessary.
RESULTS: No significant difference was observed between NeoMTA Plus and AH Plus in terms of push-out bond strength, regardless of ultrasonic activation. Ultrasonically activated AH Plus showed a decreased maximum penetration depth. Ultrasonic activation did not change the distribution of failure modes in the bond strength test.
CONCLUSION: Ultrasonic activation via a gutta-percha cone resulted in a significant reduction in bond strength of AH Plus in the apical third. No significant effect was observed for NeoMTA Plus. A similar trend was noted for intratubular penetration; however, the differences were not statistically significant in all regions.
PMID:41350868 | DOI:10.1186/s12903-025-07272-9
