Extended setting shrinkage behavior of endodontic sealers

The aim of this study was to investigate the polymerization shrinkage behavior of newly introduced root canal sealers. Three recently developed sealers; EndoRez (dual cure resin-based), RealSeal (dual cure resin-based), and GuttaFlow (silicon-based) were tested and compared with TubliSeal (zinc oxide-eugenol-based). The bonded disk method was used. Sixty specimens were tested at body and room temperatures. Dual cure resin-based sealers were tested as chemically cured only and as dual cured. Samples were tested for 24 hours. It was found that there were statistically significant differences between the tested sealers. EndoRez had the highest shrinkage-strain value, followed by RealSeal, whereas TubliSeal had the lowest. GuttaFlow exhibited expansion on polymerization. It was concluded that shrinkage associated with setting might jeopardize the seal of the root canal, leading to root canal failure.