A SCANNING ELECTRON MICROSCOPIC EVALUATION OF THE ROOT CANAL FILLING WITH ULTRASONIC ENDODONTIC INSTRUMENT

초음파 근관기구를 이용한 근관충전법의 근관폐쇄능에 관한 주사 전자현미경적 연구

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the adaptation of root canal filling material to the dentinal wall of root canal and to compare the sealing ability of the root canal filling materials using ultrasonic endodontic instrument with injection-molded thermoplasticized gutta-percha filling method and lateral condensation method. Fifty fresh human single root exlracted for orthodontic treatment, were randomly selected, and instrumented by step-back technique. And then, the teeth were divided into 5 groups according to each root canal filling methods. In the experimental group 1 and group 2, the root canals were filled with gutta perdia cases using ultrasonic instrument with and without sealer. In the experimental group 3 and 4, using jection-moldeed thermoplasticized gutta-percha method by obtul$^{(R)}$ canals were filled with and without sealer. In the control group, the canals were filled with sealer by lateral candensation. And then, 5 teeth of each group were immersed in black Indian ink, decalcified and cleared. The depth of dye penetration into the root canal were evaluated with stereoscope (Reichert Ltd., USA). Among the 5 teeth remaining in each group, the single longituding grooves were made on the labial and lingual root surfaces and then immersed in the liquid nitrogen to fracture the teeth spontaneously without any distortions of gutta-percha. Each specimens were examined with X-650 Scanning Electron Microscope(Hitachi ltd, Japan) to show the adaptation to the canal wall, void, homogenicity of filling material and location of gutta-percha or sealer in the dentinal tubules of the root canal. The observations were as follows : 1. The experimental group 1 showed smaller mean dye penetration than control group, and showed the penetraton of sealer in the dentinal tubules of apical third of the root canal. 2. The experimental group 2 and group 4 showed the penetration of gutta-percha in the dentinal tubules of root canals. 3. The experimental group 1 and group 3 showed less mean dye penetration than the experimental group 2 and group 4. 4. The experimental group 1 and group 2 showed better adaptation of filling materials than control group.