solubility of two root-end filling materials over different time periods in synthetic tissue fluid: a comparative study

statement of the problem: insolubility is an important criterion for an ideal root-end filling material to both prevent any microleakage between the root canal and the periradicular space and provide sealing ability. purpose: many recent studies have shown that mineral trioxide aggregate (mta) and calcium-enriched mixture (cem) have acceptable sealing ability. the purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the solubility of these root-end filling materials. materials and method: forty stainless steel ring moulds with an internal diameter of 10±1 mm and a height of 2±0.1 mm were selected. samples of mta and cem were mixed according to the manufacturer’s instructions and inserted into the moulds. the specimens were divided into 4 experimental groups and kept in synthetic tissue fluid (stf) for 2 different time periods (7 and 28 days). the control group contained 8 empty rings. the moulds’ weights were recorded before and after immersion in stf. the changes in the weight of the samples were measured and compared using a two- way anova test at a significance level of 5%. specimens were evaluated with scanning electron microscopy (sem) at a magnification of 500×. results: there was no significant difference in weight changes between mta and cem samples ( p > 0.05). conclusion: mta and cem have similar solubility in stf in different time periods.