Comparative evaluation of cone beam CT and micro-CT on blooming artifacts in human teeth filled with bioceramic sealers

Aim To assess blooming artifacts caused by root canal sealers in CBCT images compared with those that appeared in micro-CT scan images used as references. Materials and method Thirty freshly extracted human mandibular central incisors were used. Root canals were prepared with nickel titanium files with an ISO size 40/0.06 taper and filled with a single cone (40/0.06 taper) and three different sealers. The samples were divided into the following three groups with 10 roots each: (I) AH Plus sealer; (II) Sure Seal Root; and (III) Total BC sealer. Teeth were scanned with the same voxel sizes (0.2 mm) in different CBCT devices and the micro-CT images were acquired as reference images. Results Significantly different results in terms of blooming artifacts were detected between CBCT and micro-CT images, as well as among the CBCTs images. The canals filled with AH Plus sealer showed more blooming artifacts than those filled with bioceramic sealers ( p