Bone repair in defects filled with AH Plus sealer and different concentrations of MTA: a study in rat tibiae

This study aimed to evaluate the effects on bone repair of different concentrations of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) added to AH Plus. Bone tissue reactions were evaluated in 30 rats ( ) after 7 and 30 days. In the AH + MTA10, AH + MTA20, and AH + MTA30 groups, defects in the tibiae were filled with AH Plus with MTA in proportions of 10%, 20% and 30%, respectively; in the MTA-FILL group, MTA Fillapex was used; and in the control group, no sealer was used. The samples were histologically analyzed to assess bone union and maturation. The Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were performed for multiple pairwise comparisons ( ≤ 0.05). At the 7-day time point, AH + MTA10 was superior to MTA-FILL with respect to bone union, and AH + MTA20 was superior to MTA-FILL with respect to bone maturity ( < 0.05). At the 30-day time point, both the AH + MTA10 and AH + MTA20 experimental sealers were superior not only to MTA-FILL, but also to AH + MTA30 with respect to both parameters ( < 0.05). The results of the AH + MTA10 and AH + MTA20 groups were superior to those of the control group for both parameters and experimental time points ( < 0.05). The results suggest the potential benefit of using a combination of these materials in situations requiring bone repair.