Influence of the removal of coronal gutta-percha on the seal of root canal obturations.

The purpose of this study was to compare the quality of the coronal seal of lateral and vertical condensations after removal of the coronal gutta-percha with two different techniques. One hundred single-rooted human teeth with one root canal were used. After cleaning and shaping, the teeth were divided into 4 equal groups. In groups 1, 3 and 2, 4 vertical and lateral condensations were performed respectively. Then, the coronal portion of gutta-percha was removed with heat-carriers alone for groups 1 and 2 and with heat-carriers and compaction for groups 3 and 4. Apical microleakage was determined using pressurized fluid filtration measured at different time intervals up to 24 wk. The results showed that the alternation of heat-carriers and compaction enhances the quality of the coronal seal. The obturation with the vertical condensation technique resulted in a better seal independently of the gutta-percha removal technique.