Evaluación in vitro del grado de penetración del cemento obturador en premolares inferiores mediante microscopio electrónico de barrido.

Abstract

treatment. Root canal sealers complement obturation and promote three-dimensional sealing, and the obturation technique may modify sealer behavior within the canal. Objective: To evaluate the degree of penetration of AH Plus and Bio-C Sealer into dentinal tubules at the coronal, middle, and apical thirds of mandibular premolars obturated using vertical compaction and cold lateral condensation, as observed under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Methods: An in vitro study was conducted using 40 extracted non-vital mandibular premolars to compare penetration between AH Plus® (Root Canal Sealer, Dentsply Sirona) and Bio-C® Sealer (Angelus). Results: A significant effect of root third on penetration was found (F = 4.279; p = 0.024; ηp² = 0.106), specifically between the middle and apical thirds (Δ = 94.440 μm; p = 0.048), with no differences involving the coronal third compared with the middle or apical thirds (p ≥ 0.05). Sealer type significantly influenced mean penetration (p = 0.027; ηp² = 0.128), whereas the obturation technique showed no differences (p = 0.647; ηp² = 0.006). No significant second- or third-order interactions were observed (p ≥ 0.05). Conclusion: In mandibular premolars evaluated by SEM, dentinal tubule penetration varied by root third, with greater penetration in the middle third, and was affected by sealer type but not by the obturation technique