Evaluation of the Correlation between Bacterial Leakage and the Quality of the Filling in Root Canals Obturated by using different Sealer-core Material Combinations

Objective: To evaluate the obturation quality of roots filled with different resin based sealer-core material combinations and to investigate the correlation between quality of the filling and bacterial leakage. Materials and Methods: Single-rooted human teeth were divided into seven test (n=15) and two control groups (n=12) as follows: HybridRootSEAL/ K3 gutta-percha, HybridRootSEAL/Resilon, RealSeal/Resilon, RealSeal/K3 gutta-percha, AH Plus Jet/K3 gutta-percha, Acroseal/K3 gutta-percha and Diaket/K3 gutta-percha. Leakage was assessed for turbidity of the broth in the lower chamber every day during the test-period of 60 days. Survival analysis was performed (Kaplan-Meier Test). Six roots were then randomly selected from each group and were serially sectioned to obtain fifteen sections from each. Digital images were taken under microscope (50X; LeicaMZ16A) using IC3D camera (Leica). The mean area of the gaps/voids between the sealer-root dentin, sealer-core materials and inside the sealer mass was measured and recorded as μm2. The data was statistically analyzed. Results: No significant difference was found among the test groups according to their resistance to bacterial leakage (p=0.76). The percentage of non-leaked specimens was highest for the RealSeal/Resilon group (%40). Groups, sections and locations have an effect on the quantity of the gaps/voids (p<0.001). Hybrid Root SEAL/Resilon group showed more gaps/voids when compared with the other groups (p<0.05). The gaps/voids occurred mostly between the core material and sealer (p<0.05). Conclusions: No correlation was found between the quality of the root filling and bacterial leakage values. Adhesion between the core materials and resin-based root canal sealers still needs to be improved.