Dentinal Tubule Penetration of a Calcium Silicate-Based Root Canal Sealer Using a Specific Calcium Fluorophore

Abstract This study aimed to evaluate penetrability on dentinal tubule of a new bioceramic sealer through confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM). A specific fluorophore (Fluo-3) was mixed with the sealer. Forty distobuccal roots from maxillary molars were selected, and root canal preparation was carried out with Wave One Gold # 35.06 instruments. Roots were randomly assigned to 4 groups according to the filling procedures: Bioceramic/Lentulo (Sealer Plus BC); Bioceramic/EasyClean group, three activation of the sealer (3x20 s) with Easy Clean instrument; Bioceramic/Irrisonic: ultrasonic activation for 30 s; and AHplus/Lentulo: epoxy resin based sealer (AH Plus) was utilized with the same protocol as the BC/LE group. After 72 h, specimens were transversally sectioned at 2 and 7 mm from root apex and then analyzed through CLSM. Sealer penetration area on dentinal tubule was measured by Adobe Photoshop CC2018. Kruskal Wallis and Wilcoxon T tests were carried out. Penetrability results were similar for both sealers regardless of which technique was performed to activate them inside the root canal (p>0.05). It is reasonable to conclude that penetration of bioceramic and epoxy resin based sealers occurred unimpressively. The type of instrument used to activate bioceramic sealer did not affect penetrability. Fluo 3 should be recommended as the fluorophore to evaluate dentinal tubule penetration of bioceramic sealers.