Long-term Evaluation of the Sealing Ability of Two Root Canal Sealers in Combination with Self-etching Bonding Agents

Purpose: To compare the short- and long-term sealing ability of root canal fillings consisting of AH-26 and laterally compacted gutta-percha in combination with a self-etching dentin bonding system and the Epiphany-Resilon system. Materials and Methods: Ninety-eight single-rooted human teeth were used in this study. The root canals were prepared using the step-back technique. Sodium hypochlorite 5% was used as the irrigant solution. The teeth were divided into 4 groups. In groups 1, 3, and 4, irrigation with ethylene diamine tetracetic acid (EDTA) 15% was used to remove the smear layer. In the specimens of all groups, a final irrigation with 5 ml distilled water was performed. In groups 1 and 2, the Nanobond bonding system was used. The specimens in groups 1 to 3 were obturated with AH-26 and laterally compacted gutta-percha. In the last group (4), the Epiphany-Resilon system was used. Microleakage was measured at 7 days, 1 month, and 1 year using a fluid transport model. Two specimens from each group and 4 where only Nanobond had been applied were prepared and examined in a scanning electron microscope. Results: The Epiphany-Resilon system and the group obturated with AH-26 sealer and gutta-percha, in combination with the self-etching bonding system after removal of the smear layer with EDTA, demonstrated similar sealing ability. Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests showed that he results for these two groups were statistically significanty better than the other groups (p 0.05). All the groups examined showed increased apical leakage over time, but the increase was statistically significant after one year only in the case of the Epiphany-Resilon system. Conclusion: The use of a self-etching bonding system improved the sealing ability of AH-26 sealer only after removal of the smear layer. Significantly higher microleakage over time was only observed with the Epiphany-Resilon system. Keywords: self-etching bonding agents, resin-based sealers