Evaluation of Apically Extruded Debris During Root Canal Preparation Using ProTaper Ultimate and ProTaper Gold: An Ex Vivo Study

Objective: To assess the extruded debris apically by the ProTaper Ultimate rotary nickel-titanium files compared to the ProTaper Gold files on preparing the mesiobuccal root canals of mandibular molars. Methods: Thirty mandibular molars with mesial canals showing Vertucci Type-IV configuration and curvatures ranging between 20 degrees to 40 degrees were selected and divided into two groups per the rotary files used for root canal shaping (n=15). Myers and Montgomery's methodology was adopted for the collection of debris. The average weight of the collected dried debris was recorded and statistically analyzed using the independent-test at a significance level of (p<0.05) after log transformation. Results: The ProTaper Ultimate showed significantly less debris extruded (2.35 +/- 0.65 mg) than ProTaper Gold (3.25 +/- 0.47 mg) (p=0.001). Conclusion: ProTaper Ultimate can efficiently prepare curved root canals with the minimal amount of apical debris extruded compared to ProTaper Gold.