comparison of marginal adaptation of mta and cem cement apical plugs in three different media

introduction: the aim of this study was to compare the marginal adaptation of mineral trioxide aggregate (mta) and calcium-enriched mixture(cem) cement apical plugs in open apex teeth in dry, blood- and saliva-contaminated canals. methods and materials: a total of 120 human extracted single-rooted teeth were used. the teeth were decoronated and canals were cleaned and shaped up to #80 k-files. after simulating open apex condition, samples were randomly divided into two groups (group 1: mta plug and group 2 cem cement plug) and each group was then further divided into 3 subgroups (dry canal, blood- and saliva-contaminated canals). mta and cem cement apical plugs were placed into the canal. after full setting of apical plug, immediate marginal adaptation of the samples was assessed by electronic microscope. the data were analyzed using the two-way analysis of variance. results: there was no statistically difference between the average marginal gap in mta and cem cement groups in three different conditions. the average gap in dry canal was significantly lower than canal contaminated with blood and saliva. conclusion: it seems that marginal adaptations of mta and cem apical plug was not significantly different in various conditions and the two materials can be used successfully in this method.