Novel method to evaluate sealing ability in endodontic therapy using Micro-CT

Aims The success of endodontic therapy is given by total obturation of the root canal in all dimensions. Thus is become necessary to create a fluid-tight seal able to prevent ingress of bacteria and their toxins [1]. Gutta-percha is the most common root filling material in use today [2] and in this study it was utilized in association with Thermafil system (Maillefer, Switzerland) technique. Besides gutta-percha alone is not able to provide a fluid-tight seal of the canal space and a sealer is required along with the core obturating material. It was here used a gold standard sealer (AH Plus, Dentsply Germany) that is an epoxy resin. In this paper an innovative method using a micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) is proposed to measure the interface volume of voids/gaps of obturated root canals as indirect index of sealing ability.