Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2019 Aug 19:7:e7419.
doi: 10.7717/peerj.7419. eCollection 2019.

A comparative study of root canal shaping using protaper universal and protaper next rotary files in preclinical dental education

Gül Çelik  1 , Feyza Özdemir Kısacık  2 , Emir Faruk Yılmaz  3 , Arife Mersinlioğlu  4 , İhsan Furkan Ertuğrul  5 , Hikmet Orhan  6
Affiliations

A comparative study of root canal shaping using protaper universal and protaper next rotary files in preclinical dental education

Gül Çelik et al. PeerJ. .

Abstract

Background: Dentistry has undergone an evolution in endodontics practice caused by the advancement of rotary techniques for root canal preparation and their subsequent incorporation into the teaching of dentistry undergraduates. This research aimed to evaluate the shaping ability of third-year dental students as their first experience in rotary instrumentation using ProTaper Universal (PTU) and ProTaper Next (PTN) (Dentsply Maillefer) rotary instruments in simulated curved canals.

Methods: Forty students instrumented 200 simulated canals with a 40° curvature in resin blocks according to the manufacturer's instructions with PTU and 39 students and 195 canals with PTN files. The canals were prepared at a speed of 300 rpm using a 16:1 reduction hand-piece powered by an electric motor (Xsmart; Dentsply Maillefer). The final apical preparation was set to F2 for the PTU and X2 for the PTN group. The change in canal curvature was evaluated based on Schneider technique using the AutoCAD 2007 software on post-digital photographs. The incidence of instrument fracture and deformation, the incidence of ledge, the change in working length (WL), and the working time were noted. The data were analyzed with Student's t-test and Chi-Square test at a significance level of 0.05 using SPSS.

Results: PTN maintained the original canal curvature better, resulting in fewer fractures and ledges, and shaped the canals faster than the PTU (P < 0.05). The mean curves of the resin canals after the instrumentation for the PTU and PTN groups were 24.03° ± 3.14° and 25.64° ± 2.72°, respectively. Thirty-three (17.4%) PTU and 18 (9.3%) PTN files fractured (p < 0.05). Nine (4.5%) PTU and 2 (2.6%) PTN deformed (p > 0.05). The change in WL after instrumentation was 0.97 mm ± 0.95 mm in PTU and 0.96 mm ± 0.80 mm in PTN (p < 0.05). The mean times were 627 s ± 18 s for PTU and 379 s ± 18 s for PTN (p < 0.000).

Discussion: PTN can be recommended in severely curved root canals in terms of maintenance of the original canal curvature, superior instrument fracture and fewer ledges. Even if training before preparation provides an acceptable level of canal shaping for preclinical students, the use of NiTi rotary instruments should be included in the undergraduate dental curriculum, contributing to an increase in the quality of root canal shaping and, consequently, to an improvement of the clinical experience of students.

Keywords: Education; Preclinic; Protaper; Protaper next; Rotary techniques.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Feyza Özdemir Kısacık is an employee of Vefa Oral and Tooth Health Center. Emir Yilmaz is an employee of Dentplus Oral and Dental Health Center.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Measurement of the canal curvature on the images captured by stereo microscope after instrumentation.
(A) degree of curvature according to Schneider (1971).
Figure 2
Figure 2. Ledge formation at the beginning of the curvature associated with a marked loss of working length.
The arrow indicates the ledge.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abu-Tahun I, Al-Rabab’ah MA, Hammad M, Khraisat A. Technical quality of root canal treatment of posterior teeth after rotary or hand preparation by fifth year undergraduate students, The University of Jordan. Australian Endodontic Journal. 2014;40:123–130. doi: 10.1111/aej.12069. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Alemam AAH, Dummer PMH, Farnell DJJ. A comparative study of protaper universal and protaper next used by undergraduate students to prepare root canals. Journal of Endodontics. 2017;43:1364–1369. doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2017.03.038. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Alrahabi M. Comparative study of root-canal shaping with stainless steel and rotary NiTi files performed by preclinical dental students. Technology and Health Care. 2015;23:257–265. doi: 10.3233/THC-150895. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Alrahabi M, Zafar MS. Assessment of apical transportation caused by nickel-titanium rotary systems with full rotation and reciprocating movements using extracted teeth and resin blocks with simulated root canals: a comparative study. Nigerian Journal of Clinical Practice. 2018;21:772–777. doi: 10.4103/njcp.njcp_200_17. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Ankrum MT, Hartwell GR, Truitt JE. K3 Endo, ProTaper, and ProFile systems: breakage and distortion in severely curved roots of molars. Journal of Endodontics. 2004;30:234–237. doi: 10.1097/00004770-200404000-00013. - DOI - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources