In vitro evaluation of the obturation ability, adaptation and compaction of gutta-percha in the root canal system employing different filling techniques.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the in vitro obturation quality of four filling methods: active lateral condensation, a modification of Tagger's hybrid technique, ENAC ultrasound technique and the Microseal technique. The study was performed on one hundred and sixteen single-rooted human teeth, divided into four groups of twenty nine teeth, embedded in resin, longitudinally sectioned and placed together on a wooden device with screws. After instrumentation, a cavity was made with a bur in the cervical, medium and apical thirds of the root canal in order to simulate lateral canals. The teeth were filled with the different techniques. Obturation quality was evaluated employing photographs and radiographs. The statistical analysis using the Chi square (chi2) test revealed that the Microseal technique reached the best results followed by the modified Tagger's hybrid technique, the ENAC ultrasound technique and the active lateral condensation technique.