Effectiveness of the Canal Finder and hand instrumentation in removal of gutta‐percha root fillings during root canal retreatment

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to quantify the amount of remaining gutta-percha/sealer on the canal walls when the Canal Finder system, hand instrumentation and a combination of both (hybrid technique) were used to remove these materials. The amount of apically-extruded debris and the time required for removal were also recorded. Sixty extracted maxillary anterior teeth were prepared using a stepback technique and obturated with gutta-percha. Reinstrumentation of all groups was done in conjunction with a solvent, chloroform. The teeth were split longitudinally and photographed, and the total area of the root canal and the area of the debris were traced and quantified using a computerized image analysis system. The ratio of remaining obturation material to root canal surface was derived and analysed statistically. Hand instrumentation resulted in less debris remaining than did the other two techniques (P < 0.05). The differences in the amount of apically extruded debris were not significant among the techniques (P > 0.05). The hybrid technique required significantly less time for filling material removal. The Canal Finder system alone was not superior to hand instrumentation.

Efficacy of Two Rotary NiTi Instruments in the Removal of Gutta-Percha During Root Canal Retreatment

“…Finally, the evaluation of remaining filling material was performed by calculating the percentage of debris in the whole canal and in each third relative to the total canal area and to the area of each third. This method appears to be effective and supports previous studies performed by numerous investigators who demonstrated its efficacy in evaluating the amount of remaining filling materials (23,32). This procedure was undertaken to minimize the subjectivity that may be seen in evaluation methods using radiographs or photographs that are evaluated on a scoring system based on scales (21,33,34).…”

“…Other methods of gutta-percha removal include removing the coronal portion of gutta-percha using Gates Glidden or heat pluggers (4,18), then the rest can be removed by an ultrasonic technique (19,20). Additionally, rotary instruments can also be used, such as the inflexible GPX burs (18,21), the canal finder (22)(23)(24), or one of the recent flexible rotary nickel-titanium (NiTi) files in a slow-speed handpiece (25,26).…”

In Vitro Evaluation of the Effectiveness of ProTaper Universal Rotary Retreatment System for Gutta-Percha Removal with or without a Solvent

“…Measurement of area covered by filling material remnants in the IMAGE TOOL 3.00 software. (7,15,(20)(21)(22)(23), NiTi rotary instruments (7,11,13,15,(24)(25)(26)(27)(28), and solvents (29)(30)(31). In this study, stainless steel K-type hand files and the ProTaper retreatment system with and without solvent were compared.…”

Endodontic filling removal procedure: an ex vivo comparative study between two rotary techniques

“…Both techniques were performed by a single operator, which is an important factor during the comparison. 18 Solvents can also be used to dissolve the guttapercha points. Eucalyptol is a colorless solvent with an aromatic odor that is less irritating than chloroform and without carcinogenic potential.…”