INTRODUCTION Oval-shaped canals represent a challenge for rotary nickel-titanium (NiTi) files because buccal and/or lingual recesses are commonly left uninstrumented. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the debridement quality of the Self-Adjusting File (SAF) system in oval canals and compare it with the debridement achieved by a commonly used NiTi rotary system. METHODS A careful sp...

INTRODUCTION The Self-Adjusting File (SAF) system (ReDent-Nova, Ra'anana, Israel) has been recently introduced for the simultaneous instrumentation and irrigation of root canals. The SAF is claimed to adapt itself three dimensionally to the root canal, including its cross-section. It is operated with a continuous flow of sodium hypochlorite that is delivered into the root canal through the holl...

Aims The primary goals of endodontic treatment are to debride and disinfect the root canal space to the greatest possible extent, and to seal the canals as effectively as possible, aiming to establish or maintain healthy periapical tissues. Although initial root canal therapy has been shown to be a predictable procedure with a high degree of success, failure can occur after treatment. Lack of h...

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to describe the canal shaping properties of a novel nickel-titanium instrument, the self-adjusting file (SAF), in maxillary molars. METHODS Twenty maxillary molars were scanned by using micro-computed tomography at 20-μm resolution. Canals were shaped with the SAF, which was operated with continuous irrigation in a handpiece that provided an in-and-out v...

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to evaluate the root canal preparation in flat-oval canals treated with either rotary or self-adjusting file (SAF) by using micro-tomography analysis. METHODS Forty mandibular incisors were scanned before and after root canal instrumentation with rotary instruments (n = 20) or SAF (n = 20). Changes in canal volume, surface area, and cross-sectional geome...