Histopathological study of the use of freeze-dried allogenic dentin powder and True Bone Ceramic as apical barrier materials.

The biocompatibility of freeze-dried allogenic dentin powder and True Bone Ceramics (TBC), the latter prepared by incineration of bovine bone, as apical barrier materials was evaluated histopathologically in dogs. After pulpectomy, 80 root canals of 53 dog premolar teeth were prepared, and each material was tightly packed to the apical stop area. The remainder of the canal was filled with guttapercha by the lateral condensation method. Control teeth were filled by the lateral condensation method using gutta-percha without constructing apical barriers. In both the teeth filled with the dentin powder and those filled with TBC, multinucleate giant cells appeared on the bone resorption surface and the surface of the root canal wall, and marked bone resorption and positive tartrate-resistant acid phosphate staining were observed. Hard tissue had formed on the root canal wall and the filling material after 3 months. These findings suggest that the test materials are nonirritative and compatible with periapical tissue, and that they may be useful and clinically applicable as apical barrier materials.