coronal and apical sealing ability of a new endodontic cement

introduction: this in vitro study aims to evaluate the coronal and apical sealing ability of gutta-percha (gp) root filling used with either mineral trioxide aggregate (mta), new endodontic cement (nec) or ah26 as filler/sealers. materials and methods: forty eight single-rooted extracted teeth were selected, decoronated and then instrumented. samples were randomly divided into three experimental (n=12) and two control groups (n=6). in group 1, root canals were filled using lateral condensation technique (l); while single cone technique (s) was used for groups 2 and 3. ah26, mta and nec were the root canal sealer/fillers in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively. samples were immersed in 1% methylene-blue dye and then independently centrifuged apically and coronally. the roots were split longitudinally and linear extent of dye penetration was measured with a stereomicroscope from apical and coronal directions. data were analyzed using one-way anova and t-test. results: no statistical differences in mean apical dye penetration between groups lgp/ah26, sgp/mta and sgp/nec were found; sgp/nec group showed significantly less coronal dye penetration (p<0.001). conclusion: considering the limitations of this in vitro study, it was concluded that the simple single cone technique with nec can provide favorable coronal and apical seal.