Comparative study of two filling techniques using glass-ionomer (Ketac-endo) root canal cement on fracture resistance of endodontically treated roots (in vitro).

Forty freshly single rooted teeth were selected for this study. The coronal part of teeth were decapitated and the root canals were prepared by modified step-back technique with K-flex files to size 35# at the apex, five ml of 5.25% NaOCl was used as irrigating solution. According to the dentin thickness at the mesio-distal direction of the prepared roots, roots were divided into two groups: Group (I), dentin and cementum thickness from 1.5-2 mm, and Group (II), dentin and cementum thickness 1 mm. According to the filling technique used the teeth were subdivided into four subgroups each of five teeth; Subgroup (A) single gutta-percha cone and Ketac-endo root canal sealer, Subgroup (B) lateral condensation technique with gutta-percha and Ketac-endo sealer, Subgroup (C) laterally condensed gutta-percha with Roth 801 cement and Subgroup (D) teeth left unfilled as negative controls. The prepared roots were placed into acrylic resin so that 10 mm of the root was exposed. A slowly increasing force was applied vertically using a blunt punch with 1 mm tip thickness attached to Instron testing machine. The results showed that group (I) with 1.5-2mm dentin thickness required greater force to fracture in all experimental groups, than that of group (II) with 1 mm dentin thickness. So the amount of remaining dentin thickness significantly affected the resistance to fracture of the prepared roots.