Evaluation of Different Dentin Adhesive Systems and its Effect on Apical Microleakage: An In Vitro Study

BACKGROUND Regardless of the technique and the material used, the goal of obturation remained the same that is to seal every portal of exit in the root canal system. It's not only the apical openings that need to be sealed but also lateral openings, coronal access opening and perforations if they exist failure of the adhesive root canal sealer has led to the idea of usage of dentin bonding agents (DBAs) in endodontics, to make a three dimensional seal. In our study, we used traditional gutta-percha, time tested epoxy resin and DBA to make the root canal leak proof. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 40 maxillary incisors teeth were decoronated at cemento-enamel junction. Instrumenting to size 40 they were randomly assigned to four groups (n = 10) according to the dentin adhesive system used for obturation in combination with AH Plus sealer and gutta-percha points. The hybrid layer formation was observed using scanning electron microscope and the extent of dye penetration was measured using a stereomicroscope. RESULTS Group I: Control group, no hybrid layer formation. Group II: Uniform thin hybrid layer, with short multiple resin tags and lateral branchings. Group III: Uniform hybrid layer with short and thick resin tag formations. Group IV: Hybrid layer with numerous long discontinuous resin tags. CONCLUSIONS Group I, (without adhesive) showed the highest apical microleakage highlighting the need for dental adhesive.