Temperature changes on the root surface during application of warm vertical compaction using three different obturation units.

This study aimed to determine the temperature increase on the root surface during warm vertical compaction using three different obturation systems. Forty-five human single-rooted premolars were randomly assigned to one of three experimental groups of 15 teeth each for obturation with a System B unit, an Elements Obturation Unit, or a B&L SuperEndo Alpha II unit. All teeth were filled using the continuous wave of condensation technique with a set temperature of 200 °C. The temperature measurements were made with an infrared camera at 3 s (T0) and 1 min (T1) following activation of the heat plugger. T0 ranged between 48.1 and 84 °C depending on the obturation system. The mean value for T0 showed significant differences between various obturation systems (p = 0.001). The temperature increase on the root surface during the application of vertical compaction shows considerable variability depending on the obturation system.