An in vitro comparative analysis of glucose leakage for three contemporary single-cone obturation systems

Aim: To compare the sealing ability of three innovative single-cone obturation systems. Materials and Methods: The roots of 90 maxillary incisors were prepared with ProTaper rotary files until reaching to size F4. The roots were divided into four experimental ( n = 20 each) and two control groups ( n = 5 each). The experimental groups were filled as follows: Group 1, Cold lateral condensation using gutta-percha/AH Plus Jet; Group 2, Single-cone ProTaper gutta-percha/Guttaflow2; Group 3, Single-cone Propoint PT/Smartpaste; and Group 4, Single-cone Propoint PT/Smartpastebio. The sealing ability of root canal fillings was tested at different time intervals using the glucose leakage model. Glucose leakage values were measured (mg/dL) by a spectrophotometer and statistically analyzed. Results: All experimental groups presented significantly different glucose leakage at all experimental periods ( P < 0.05). There was a progressive increase in the glucose leakage during the experimental periods in all groups. During experimental periods, Groups 4 showed the lowest significant cumulative glucose leakage values ( P < 0.05). Conclusion: Single-cone obturation technique using Propoint PT and Smartpastebio sealer provided the superior sealing ability and may be considered an alternative to the lateral condensation technique.