Evaluation of sealing ability of three materials used as barriers over the remaining filling material after post space preparation.

The filling material remaining after post space preparation may not be enough to prevent the contamination of periapical tissues when the root canal is exposed to saliva. Thus, the purpose of this study was to evaluate leakage through three different materials used as barriers over the remaining filling. Thirty-two human premolars were selected for this study. Following the endodontic treatment, post spaces were prepared, leaving 4 mm of filling material. A barrier 1 mm high was placed over the filling material using Cotosol, VitoFil or MTA (n = 8). Absence of barrier was used as control. The specimens were immersed in 2% methylene blue dye for 12 hours, after which they were sectioned immediately below the barriers and the apical portions were ground into powder in a mill for hard tissues. The powder was immersed in absolute alcohol to dilute the dye and then the dye concentration was analyzed using an absorbance spectrophotometer. Dye concentration was classified according to scores from 0 to 4, and the scores were submitted to Kruskal-Wallis and Tukey's post-hoc tests (alpha = 0.05). Only Cotosol and MTA reduced the leakage when compared to control. Vitrofil showed leakage values similar to both MTA and control, but higher than Cotosol. In conclusion, the material used as a barrier can have an effect on leakage through the remaining filling material.