Comparative Evaluation of Apical Transportation and Canal Centric Ability in Apical Region of Newer nickel-titanium File Systems Using cone-beam computed tomography on Extracted Molars: An In Vitro Study

Background: Objective in root canal preparation is to develop a shape that tapers from apical to coronal, maintaining the original canal shape. With advent of instruments manufactured from nickel-titanium (NiTi) alloys, there was a significant improvement of quality of root canal shaping, with predictable results and less iatrogenic damage. Aim: The aim of the study was to evaluate the canal centric ability and apical transportation in apical region of newer NiTi file system in root canal using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) on extracted molars. Materials and Methods: Root canal of thirty extracted human permanent teeth with mature root apices with 20 degrees-40 degrees of curvature were collected and divided into three groups after initial bio-mechanical preparation: Group 1: canal prepared using ProTaperNext (PTN) file system; Group 2: canal prepared using Mani silk system; and Group 3: canal prepared using V-taper file system. All samples were scanned before and after biomechanical preparation using CBCT. The data collected were evaluated using the Kruskal-Wallis analysis of variance test and Mann-Whitney U-test. Results: It was observed that in apical region Group I (PTN) showed significantly lower mean apical transportation and canal centric ability as compared to Group II (Mani Silk) and Group III (V-taper). Conclusion: It was concluded that PTN rotary system has no canal transportation and maintained centric ability in comparison to Mani and V-taper rotary file system in apical region of curved root canal.