Effect of sonic versus ultrasonic instrumentation on canal preparation.

The instrumentation time, and the resulting root canal angulation change and shape after using ultrasonic, sonic, and hand instrumentation techniques were studied in the mesial canals of 55 extracted human mandibular first and second molars. After instrumentation, the roots were sectioned horizontally in the apical, middle, and coronal thirds and evaluated for shape, mesial and distal canal widths, and canal diameter. MM3000 and hand were significantly faster than the other techniques (p less than 0.005). MM3000 resulted in less angulation change than the Enac (p less than 0.005). Hand instrumentation was judged to have given the best shape (p less than 0.01).