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. 2023 Oct;39(4):639-645.
doi: 10.1007/s11282-023-00680-z. Epub 2023 Mar 31.

The effect of ultrasonic access cavity preparation on dentinal inner walls: a micro-CT study on cadaveric samples

C Zogheib  1 , R Roumi  1 , A Baldi  2 , P Palopoli  3 , D Pasqualini  2 , E Berutti  2 , M Alovisi  2
Affiliations

The effect of ultrasonic access cavity preparation on dentinal inner walls: a micro-CT study on cadaveric samples

C Zogheib et al. Oral Radiol. 2023 Oct.

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study is to evaluate the occurrence of coronal dentinal micro-cracks after access cavity refinement using high-speed burs and ultrasonic tips by means of micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) analysis.

Methods: In this study, 18 mandibular cadaveric incisors were divided into two groups according to the protocol of the preparation of the conventional access cavity. The diamond bur 802 # 12 was used until the perforation of the pulp roof. Then, the Endo-Z bur was used for the group #1 and the ultrasonic tip Start-X # 1 for the group #2 to finish and refine the access cavity. The preparation time of each access cavity has been recorded. The teeth underwent a micro-CT scan before and after the preparation of the access cavity. Fisher's exact test, the Chi-square test, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, the Mann-Whitney test, and the Student's test were used for statistical evaluation.

Results: The percentage of teeth with new micro-cracks is not significantly different between the two groups (-p-value < 0.5). The number of newly formed micro-cracks and extension size were not significantly different between the two groups. The direction of extension of the micro- cracks was occluso-apical. The average duration of the access cavity is significantly smaller with the Endo-Z system (-p- value < 0.001). The roughness of walls surfaces has no statistically difference between the two groups.

Conclusion: The use of ultrasound, although slower, is considered safe in the creation of dentinal micro-cracks, in the preparation of the access cavity.

Keywords: Endodontic access; Micro-CT; Microcracks; Refinement bur; Ultrasonic tip.

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