Micro-computed tomography evaluation of minimally invasive root canal preparation in 3D printed c-shape canal

Introduction: The C-shaped canal is a complex anatomical variation that poseschallenges for cleaning and shaping due to its intricate structure. This study aims toevaluate and compare the shaping abilities and minimum dentin thickness followingcanal preparation with 2 minimally invasive rotary instruments in a 3D-printed Cshapedcanal via micro-computed tomography.Methods: Twelve 3D-printed C-shaped canal models were generated from onehuman mandibular molar and assigned to two groups based on the type of instrumentsused for canal preparation: XP-endo Rise (XR, n=6) and TruNatomy (TN, n=6)groups. The shaping abilities, measured in terms of the percentage of canal volumechange and prepared canal area, as well as minimum dentin thickness after canalpreparation were assessed using micro-computed tomography.Results: The percentage of canal volume change was 22.66±4.28% for the XR groupand 23.02±5.10% for the TN group. The percentage of prepared canal area was31.86±10.72% in the XR group and 29.60±10.51% in the TN group. The minimumdentin thickness after canal preparation was 0.30±0.05mm for the XR group and0.28±0.05mm for the TN group. No significant differences were observed in thepercentage of canal volume change, prepared canal area, and minimum dentin(3)thickness between the two groups (p>0.05). The canal volume change in the middlethird was significantly higher than that in the coronal and apical thirds (P<0.05) inboth groupsConclusion: The shaping abilities and minimum dentin thickness of XR were similarto those of TN for C-shaped root canal preparation.