Root Canal Anatomy Preservation of WaveOne Reciprocating Files with or without Glide Path

Introduction: This study evaluated the influence of glide path on canal curvature and axis modification after instrumentation with Wave One Primary reciprocating files. Methods: Thirty ISO 15, 0.02 taper Endo Training Blocks were used. In group 1, glide path was created with Path File 1, 2, and 3 at working length, whereas in group 2, glide path was not performed. In both groups, canals were shaped with Wave One Primary reciprocating files at working length. Preinstrumentation and postinstrumentation digital images were superimposed and processed with Mat lab r2010b software to analyze the curvature radius ratio (CRr) and the relative axis error (rAe), representing canal curvature modification. Data were analyzed with 1-way balanced analyses of variance at 2 levels (P <.05). Results: Glide path was found to be extremely significant for both CRr parameter (F = 9.59; df = 1; P =.004) and rAe parameter (F = 13.55; df = 1; P=.001). Conclusions: Canal modifications seem to be significantly reduced when previous glide path is performed by using the new WaveOne nickel-titanium single-file system. (J Endod 2012;38:101-104)