Comparison of Spreader Penetration during lateral compaction of 0.02 tapered Gutta-Percha Master Cones with Stainless steel and Nickel Titanium finger spreader

Aim: To compare the initial penetration depth of Stainless Steel and Nickel Titanium spreaders during lateral condensation of 0.02 tapered gutta-percha master cones. Materials and Methods: 30 human extracted single-rooted and single canal teeth were selected. The crowns were removed and the canals were prepared using the hybrid step-back technique. Patency of the apical foramen as were maintained. The teeth were divided into 2 experimental groups of 15 teeth each. 0.02 tapered gutta-percha were inserted in the root canals of the first and second groups, respectively. A Stainless steel and Nickel Titanium spreader was then placed next to the master cone into two different groups and a digital scale was used to measure the force that was applied during spreader placement. An apical force of 1.5kg was employed to place the spreaders. The penetration depth was measured, subtracted from the working length, and recorded. Statistical analysis was then performed using t-test. Results: The mean spreader penetration depth, recorded as distance from working length, was 0.93 mm when using stainless steel spreader and 1.87 mm following insertion of nickel-titanium spreader. The difference between the two penetration depths was statistically significant (P<0.05). Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the spreader penetration using stainless steel spreader was significantly larger than the nickel-titanium spreader.