Sealer area associated with cold lateral condensation of gutta-percha and warm coated carrier filling systems in canals prepared with various rotary NiTi systems

Aim To compare the area of sealer surrounding root fillings completed by two coated carrier systems (Thermafil Obturator and System GT Obturator) and the cold lateral compaction technique, following root canal preparation with two different NiTi rotary systems (Profile ISO and System GT). Methodology Sixty extracted human mandibular premolars were instrumented with ProFile ISO 0.06 taper and System GT instruments (n = 30 each). The teeth were divided into four subgroups (n = 15) for filling as following: group 1: ProFile + Thermafil Obturator, group 2: ProFile + Cold Lateral Compaction, group 3: System GT + GT Obturator, and group 4: System GT + Cold Lateral Compaction. In all groups the canals were prepared to a final size of 40, 0.06 taper in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and Topseal was used as a sealer. Horizontal sections were obtained every 1 mm up to 12 mm from the apical foramen. Sections were digitally photographed under a stereomicroscope and the images were transferred to an IBM‐compatible PC for image analysis. The cross‐sectional area of the root canal and the area filled by sealer were calculated for each section and compared statistically both at all levels and by grouping the data as apical, middle and coronal segments; using the Kruskal–Wallis test with Bonferroni correction and chi‐square tests (P = 0.05). Results In the apical third (1–4 mm), the GT Obturator (group 3) had significantly less area of sealer (P 0.05). For the middle and coronal thirds, both coated‐carrier systems had significantly less area of sealer compared with their laterally compacted counterparts (P