The Effect of Canal Contamination with Saliva on Apical Sealing

Root canal obturation aims at sealing the root canal system to prevent re-contamination of canal and periapical space. Presence of moisture in canal before obturation may posit a negative effect on the quality of canal sealing. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effect of canal contamination with saliva on apical microleakage.

In this laboratory study, 58 human uni-root teeth were cleaned and shaped for obturation with gutta percha and sealer AH26. In the case group, specimens were contaminated with human saliva immediately before obturation, whereas the teeth in the control group were kept dry. All canals were filled by lateral condensation technique. Moreover, the teeth were placed in methylene blue dye for 3 days. Dye penetration was measured using a stereomicrosope. As a matter of fact, the study data were analyzed via utilizing t-test.

A significant difference was found between the two groups in regard with the apical leakage(P<0.001). The microleakage mean of dye in the dry group was 3/48mm, whereas it was 6/36mm in the saliva contaminated group.

The study findings revealed that complete drying of canal can improve apical sealing.