Apical Extrusion of Debris During Root Canal Preparation with Different Brands of ProTaper System

Complete debridement of the root canal system is imperative for successful endodontic treatment. This study compared apical extrusion of debris following the use of different brands of ProTaper system. Materials and Methods: This in vitro experimental study was conducted on 80 extracted mandibular molars. After access cavity preparation, working length was determined by a #10 K-file. The teeth were mounted in an experimental setup as explained by Myers and Montgomery, and were randomized into 4 groups (n=20) for root canal instrumentation with ProTaper Universal (PTU), Dia-PT file (DPT), PathMax Pro (PMP), and hand files. The root canals were irrigated with double distilled water after using two files. After preparation, the debris collecting tubes were separated from the setup. Debris adhering to root surface was also collected by rinsing the canals with 1 mL of double distilled water. The tubes were incubated at 70°C for 5 days. Dried debris was weighed and subtracted from the weight of empty tubes. Data were analyzed by ANOVA. Results: The extruded debris in PTU group was significantly higher than that in DPT and PMP groups (P<0.05). The extruded debris in DPT group was significantly lower than that in PTU and hand file groups (P<0.05). The extruded debris in hand file group was significantly higher than that in DPT and PMP groups (P<0.05). The extruded debris in PMP group was significantly lower than that in PTU and hand file groups. Conclusion: PTU caused maximum and PMP caused minimum extrusion of debris.