A scanning electron microscopic study of the presence of pores and vacuoles in set endodontic sealers – in vitro

Introduction: The present study was carried out to evaluate the presence of defects on the external surface termed ‘Pores' and defects on the fracture surface termed ‘Vacuoles' in the structure of various endodontic sealers when set. Materials and Method: Four Endodontic Sealers namely Endoflux, Endomethasone, AH Plus and Apexit Plus as Experimental Group and Zinc Oxide Eugenol cement as control group were included in this study. The study involved the assessment of surface defects by Scanning Electron Microscope. Results: The frequency of Pores was maximum in Endomethasone sealer, and minimum in AH Plus sealer followed by Zinc oxide eugenol cement (control), Endoflux sealer, then by Apexit Plus sealer. The frequency of vacuoles in different sealers was also found maximum in Endomethasone sealer while it was minimum in AH Plus sealer followed by Apexit Plus and Zinc oxide eugenol cement (control) then by Endoflux sealer. The diameter of pores was found largest in Endomethasone sealer while the diameter of pores could not be measured in AH plus as the pores were too small to measure. The largest vacuoles was found in Endomathesone sealer whereas the smallest was found in Apexit Plus sealer. Conclusion: Based on this study, resin based sealer-AH Plus showed best structural features while zinc oxide eugenol based-Endomethasone sealer had the poorest structural features in respect to the presence of pores and vacuoles.