The Properties of Non-eugenol Paste Type Root Canal Sealers

—Apical Sealing Ability and Various Physical Properties—

Abstract

 Purpose: Currently, zinc oxide eugenol-based sealer is widely used as a sealer and good results have been obtained. It has been reported that the sealer poses few clinically significant issues and has a low influence on the retentive strength of zinc oxide eugenol-based sealers, even when making a core build-up with fiber posts immediately after hardening. On the other hand, sealers that do not contain eugenol are also utilized due to concerns that this compound inhibits resin polymerization. Powder-liquid type zinc oxide non-eugenol-based sealer is widely used but it also has issues inherent to its powder-liquid formulation, such as its collection ratio and operability. In light of these issues, we developed a paste type non-eugenol-based sealer (CS-N), and compared it with a powder-liquid type zinc oxide non-eugenol-based sealer (Canals N).
 Methods: In this study, we conducted physical property tests according to ISO6876: 2012 on flow, working time, setting time, firm thickness, solubility and disintegration, and radio-opacity. We also conducted a survey of clinicians on clinical setting time, subjected the sealer to an apical sealing test, and assessed the impression of ease of paste dispensing and mixing.
 Results: In the ISO6876: 2012 physical property tests, the values for flow, working time, setting time, firm thickness, solubility and disintegration, and radio-opacity of CS-N were all appropriate for a sealer. Clinical setting time was approximately 12 minutes, the values for apical sealing ability of lateral condensation filling and heat-softened filling were similar to those of Canals N, and technicians’ impressions on using CS-N were good.
 Conclusion: Upon comparing the results with those of a commercially-available powder-liquid type zinc oxide non-eugenol-based sealer (Canals N), the results of tests according to ISO6876: 2012 were all appropriate for a sealer. The clinical setting time was approximately 12 minutes for the paste type non-eugenol-based sealer and 20-30 minutes for Canals N.
 CS-N is effective in preventing coronal leakage, and the values for apical sealing ability of lateral condensation filling and heat-softened filling were similar to those of Canals N.
 Clinicians’ impressions on using CS-N were good, with a favorable overall evaluation of the ease of using this paste-type sealer.
 This novel paste-type sealer CS-N is equivalent to Canals N in terms of apical sealing and each of the above-mentioned physical properties. Moreover, its clinical setting time of approximately 12 minutes showed that CS-N is effective in preventing coronal leakage, and the values for apical sealing ability of lateral condensation filling and heat-softened filling were similar to those of Canals N.