Michael Tagger

Tubular permeability to calcium hydroxide and to bleaching agents

Recent reports of clinical cases suggest that cervical root resorption may follow bleaching of endodontically treated teeth. Inflammatory root resorption may be arrested by placement of calcium hydroxide into the root canal. The dentinal tubules are assumed to be a possible route of action for both agents. pH Values of the medium surrounding the tooth after placement of bleaching agents and calcium hydroxide within the root canals were determined in this study. Thirty extracted single-rooted human teeth were divided into three equal groups. The pulp cavity of the experimental teeth was filled with either bleaching agents or calcium hydroxide. In the control group it was left empty. Dipping in paraffin sealed the access cavity and the apical foramina and isolated the teeth except at the cervical root surface. The teeth were placed in vials containing distilled water and the pH of the medium was measured after 1 h, 3 days, and 7 days following renewal of the medium. The level of the pH in the first group increased, indicating that the bleaching agents leaked from the root canal to the medium surrounding the teeth. The pH in other two groups did not change noticeably. The results suggest that bleaching agents may leak from the root canal toward the periodontal tissues but calcium hydroxide does not alkalinize the medium surrounding the teeth. Leakage of the bleaching agents through dentin may, therefore, be considered as a possible etiological factor that initiates an inflammatory process around the teeth that may be followed by cervical root resorption.

Evaluation of the apical seal produced by a hybrid root canal filling method, combining lateral condensation and thermatic compaction

The apical seal afforded by laterally condensed or thermomechanically compacted gutta-percha has been investigated. The present study measured apical leakage to a dye in roots filled by a combination of the two techniques (hybrid technique). The canals of 40 extracted teeth were endodontically prepared and separated into two equal groups. Lateral condensation with sealer was used in one group. The roots of the second one were filled using the hybrid technique. After immersion in Procion brilliant green, the roots were cleared for measuring the depth of penetration of the dye. The roots filled with the hybrid technique leaked significantly less (p

Release of Calcium and Hydroxyl Ions from Set Endodontic Sealers Containing Calcium Hydroxide

Endodontic sealers that contain calcium hydroxide are claimed to possess calcification-promoting properties. Similar liners and hard-setting bases exhibit great variations in their alkalinizing potential and this property has been correlated with their biological effect. The purpose of this study was to investigate the release of calcium and hydroxyl ions from three root canal sealers by extraction with water. Calcium was assessed by EGTA titration and hydroxyl ions by measuring pH. The pattern of release of ions differed in all three sealers. In Sealapex it was similar to that of the control bases, Dycal and Life. Another sealer, Hermetic, rapidly dumped the extractable calcium hydroxide, while release of calcium from CRCS was negligible. The alkalinizing potential was more durable in all three. Disintegration of the pellets of Sealapex indicated that solubility may be the price for increased activity.

Radiopacity of Endodontic Sealers: Development of a New Method for Direct Measurement

Radiopacity is an essential attribute of endodontic filling materials. It is important to see clearly the root canal filling to detect its presence, extent, and apparent condensation. National and international standards require a minimal radiopacity equivalent to 3 or 4 mm of aluminum, yet some products made by reputed companies do not meet this requirement. The result may be unjustified downgrading of clinical cases. The purpose of this investigation was 2-fold: to develop a novel and easily reproducible technique for assessing the radiopacity of endodontic sealers and to apply it to measure the opacity of 21 current cements poured in 6- x 1-mm wells. As in the currently recommended technique, the standardized samples are radiographed alongside an aluminum stepwedge but instead of using an optical densitometer to measure the density and then calculate the radiopacity, the image is digitized. The gray pixel value of the test material is compared with the stepwedge, using computer software, to find the corresponding step. The opacity of the samples ranged from 1.6 mm to more than 11 mm of aluminum. The technique can be advanced to a dry, chemical-less variant by using radiation captors, as for periapical X-rays, instead of film.

Correlation Between Remaining Length of Root Canal Fillings After Immediate Post Space Preparation and Coronal Leakage

The seal provided by root canal fillings after post space preparation was studied using a pressure-driven radioactive tracer assay. The coronal part of root canal fillings was immediately removed, using a hot plugger, to a remaining length of either 3, 5, 7, or 9 mm. Intact root canal fillings of 14 mm served as control. Application of air pressure of 130 mm Hg to the tracer solution drove it through the fillings and into phosphate-buffered saline surrounding the apex. Leakage gradually increased for 28 days, and differences in the leakage through 3 to 9 mm fillings were demonstrated. In a passive system by which an additional group of teeth were tested none of these differences could be detected. It was concluded that: (a) root canal fillings of 3, 5, and 7 mm have an inferior seal, compared with that of an intact filling; (b) the sealing is proportional to the length of the remaining filling; and (c) a passive system is unable to detect these differences, even when conducted for as long as 28 days.

The Effect of Immediate Vs. Delayed Post Space Preparation on the Apical Seal of a Root Canal Filling: A Study in an Increased-Sensitivity Pressure-Driven System

A 5 mm remaining length of root canal filling, after post space preparation, is commonly assumed to maintain sealing ability similar to that of the intact filling. Post spaces were prepared either immediately using hot pluggers, or later, using drills. The sealing ability of the fillings, 5 mm remaining length, were compared with each other and with an intact root canal filling control, using radioactive tracer in a pressure-driven system. When no pressure was applied, no differences could be detected between either of the groups and the control. When a pressure of 120 mm Hg was applied to the same teeth, the control group clearly maintained a better seal than each of the experimental groups, which did not significantly differ from each other. These results suggest that (a) the pressure-driven system was more sensitive than the passive leakage assay that failed to detect differences even at 14 days; (b) a remaining root canal filling of 5 mm was inferior to the intact root canal filling; and (c) the immediate post space preparation with hot pluggers did not differ from a delayed preparation with drills.

Nonsurgical endodontic therapy of tooth invagination: Report of a case

Abstract A case of tooth invagination (dens in dente) with infected root canals was success fully treated by intracanal endodontic therapy. The special conditions prevailing at the apex that may have caused failure of treatment are analyzed.

Densitometric measurement of radiopacity of gutta-percha cones and root dentin

National and international standards require that gutta-percha cones be sufficiently radiopaque to be distinguished from natural structures such as dentin and to permit evaluation of the density of the root canal filling. Discs, 1-mm thick, made from 15 commercial and experimental brands of gutta-percha cones, were tested for their compliance with the requirements. The radiopacity of 1-mm thick root dentin slabs was similarly measured with a photo-densitometer. All radiographs were made on D-speed occlusal film and replicated on E-speed film. The mean radiopacity of the gutta-percha discs on D-speed film was 7.26 mm of aluminum equivalent and 7.53 mm on E-speed film, greatly exceeding the minimal requirement of 3 mm. The difference in the values obtained with the two film types was not significant, suggesting that E-speed films may be used for the test. Dentin slabs were uniform in their radiopacity, equivalent to 1 mm of aluminum, confirming previous findings. In view of complaints of insufficient clinical performance, the present minimal requirement for radiopacity of gutta-percha cones seems too low.

Intracanal pH Changes of Calcium Hydroxide Pastes Exposed to Carbon Dioxide In Vitro

It has been suggested that the main benefit of using calcium hydroxide as an intracanal medicament lies in its bactericidal effect, provided that the pH of the paste is above 12.5. The purpose of this study was to measure changes in the pH of several calcium hydroxide pastes sealed in root canals for 30 days. Sixty-two extracted, single-rooted human teeth were endodontically prepared using K-files up to size 60. The teeth were separated at random into six equal groups to be filled with either Calxyl, Hydrocalcium, or a paste made by mixing calcium hydroxide powder with either distilled water, camphorated p-monochlorophenol, local anesthetic solution, or Solvidont. Cavidentin was used to seal the coronal orifice of the teeth that were placed individually in vials containing 10 mL distilled water. Five vials of each group were exposed to air at room temperature, whereas the other five vials were exposed to carbon dioxide in a closed container. The pH of the paste in the root canal was measured after 30 days. There was no significant (p > 0.01) change in the pH (mean 13.11) of the pastes placed in teeth before and after exposure to air, whereas the pH of the pastes in teeth exposed to carbon dioxide was significantly (p < 0.01) reduced (mean 12.54). There was no significant difference in pH between the six preparations. After 30 days of exposure to carbon dioxide, they still maintained a purportedly bactericidal pH within the root canal.

Periapical tissue reactions after pulp exposure in rat molars

Apical periodontal lesions were produced in the rat molar by exposing the pulp to the oral environment. The natural history of the undisturbed lesion was studied at time intervals ranging from 2 days to 1 year postoperatively. The earliest reactions were usually inflammatory infiltration at the apex. The severity of the lesions was related to the amount of vital pulp still present in the tooth rather than to the time lapse after exposure. After 1 month most pulps has undergone necrosis and the lesions about the apices which followed showed two main types of reaction. In the case of the suppurative reaction, pus drained along a root surface, destroying the periodontal ligament and interradicular bone until it emerged at the gingival sulcus. The sinus tract could become lined with oral epithelium. In the reparative type of reaction, suppuration was absent or minimal and the apices were surrounded by fibrous connective tissue. The fiber bundles occasionally formed a collagenous scar, but they were usually replaced by cementum and bone with a new periodontal ligament. The width of the periodontium was never restored to its normal dimensions. Secondary destruction of the teeth occurred by fracture of cusps followed by caries which started in the exposed pulp chamber. Despite the predominance of destructive factors, spontaneous repair indicated good healing potential of the apical periodontal tissues.