The effect of sealer type and obturation technique on the fracture resistance of endodontically treated roots

Objective This study evaluated the effect of sealer type with various obturation techniques on the fracture resistance of root filled teeth.Materials and methods Eighty mandibular premolars were collected, and root canals of 70 of them were prepared by Mtwo system up to 40/04. Thirty teeth were obturated using TotalFill BC sealer, and 30 using AH Plus sealer, with one of the obturation techniques (N = 10), namely cold lateral compaction (CLC), warm vertical compaction (WVC), and single cone (SC). Ten teeth were left without obturation as a positive control, and the other 10 teeth were not prepared serving as a negative control. Teeth were stored for 3 weeks, and the crowns were separated and the roots were subjected to fracture test using a universal testing machine.Results Data was analyzed by ANOVA followed by Tukey's test. Fracture resistance of the TotalFill groups was significantly higher than the AH Plus groups in each obturation technique, and SC had the highest fracture resistance regardless of sealer used (P < 0.05). Obturation of the root canal by TotaFill BC sealer increased the calcium/phosphorous ratio in the dentin of the root.Conclusions Obturation with TotalFill BC sealer improved the fracture resistance of the roots more than AH Plus sealer, and obturation with SC resulted in higher fracture resistance than CLC and WVC.Clinical relevance Obturation of the root canal with Bioceramic sealer with single cone obturation technique could reduce the incidence of vertical root fracture.