Effectiveness Of Two Different Obturation Techniques In The Filling Of Oval Canals

Objective: To assess the quality of obturation with cold and warm gutta-percha in oval canals.Materials and methods: 40 mandibular incisors with oval canals were radiographically selected based on ratio of long diameter to short diameter . All canals were instrumented with modified double-flared technique by means of stainless K type files and Gate Glidden drills , irrigated with 5.25% sodium hypochlorite and 17% EDTA, then randomly assigned into two groups of 20 each. Two groups were obturated with cold lateral compaction of gutta-percha and vertical compaction of warm gutta-percha, respectively . All roots were horizontally sectioned 2mm, 4mm, 6mm, 8mm from the apical foramen using low-speed saw. The cross-se section areas of the canals and the percentage of gutta-percha , sealer, voild, debris were all measured using an image-analysis programme .Results: With regard to PGP, no significant difference was found at 2mm from apex between cold GP group and warm GP group , but warm GP group were statistically higher than cold GP group at 4mm, 6mm, 8mm from apex. Although PS 4mm, 6mm, 8mm from the apex following vertical compaction were all higher than those found following lateral condensation , no significant difference was found at 2mm from apex between two groups . No significant difference was found at any section between two groups regarding PV and PD .Conclusions: Although vertical compaction technique and lateral compaction technique had no significant difference in the filling of the apical portion of oval canal, Vertical compaction technique was superior to lateral compaction technique in the filling of middle and coronal portions of oval canals.