Introduction

Microbial contamination of the root canal system plays a significant role in reducing endodontic prognosis.¹  More notable is the fact these microorganisms and their by-products frequently engender an immunologic response.

The importance of the coronal seal following completion of root canal therapy has increasingly been recognized in the dental literature as an important factor in endodontic success.^2,3,4  Root canals obturated in vitro by the lateral compaction technique, when exposed to bacteria, have also been shown to become completely contaminated in thirty days.⁵

The concept that root canal treatment may be unsuccessful because of coronal leakage is not novel.  In 1961, a study using a radioactive tracer showed coronal leakage occurred regardless of the existence of a coronal dressing.⁶  This study also explored the outcome of cases presenting inadequate obturation, but clinically suitable coronal seal, which in due course showed clinical and radiographic treatment failure.

Various aerobic and facultative bacteria species have been used to determine leakage in endodontics,^7,8 but only a few studies have been performed with polymicrobial markers, particularly with microorganisms frequently found in endodontic related pathologies.

Fabricius et al.⁹ performed a coronal microleakage experiment in vivo where they inoculated 75 root canals of monkeys with 11 bacterial species separately or in combinations.  They concluded mixed infections have a greater ability to induce periradicular lesions than mono infections.

The aim of this study was to develop an in vitro model that would facilitate an analysis of various combinations of sealers and/or obturation techniques to determine if any could either delay the progress of contamination or eliminate it altogether.

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Citation Number: Vol. 4, No. 3, Page 002