Comparative Study for Fracture Resistance of Open Apex Teeth Filled with two Endodontic Filling Techniques

Objectives: To compare the fracture resistance of open apex endodontically treated teeth filled with two different filling techniques (fluid Gutta-percha and Biodentine® ). Material and Methods: 30 human upper central incisors instrumented with a gates glidden n6 drill simulating an open apex were divided into four groups (positive control group, negative group, gutta-percha-filled group and Biodentine®-filled group) were subjected to compressive forces with the aid of a Shimadzu machine until the maximum fracture limit was reached. Results: Although there were descriptive differences between the untreated group (maximum strength) and the instrumented and unfilled tooth (lower strength), we found no significant statistical differences between the filling with Gutta-percha and Biodentine bioceramic cement. The statistical analysis of the data collected for this study was performed using SPSS 23 software with a confidence level of 95%. Chi-square tests and Student t-tests p<0.05 were used for the analysis of the results. Conclusion: Filling a tooth with an open apex always improves fracture resistance as opposed to not filling it, but there are no significant differences between using one specific material or another.