Effects on the incidence of dentinal microcracks in curved root canal preparation with ProTaper Universal and ProTaper Gold

This study aims to compare the incidence of dentinal microcracks produced by ProTaper Universal (PTU) and ProTaper Gold (PTG) file systems during root canal procedures in different curved canals using a dyeing technique.

Sixty extracted human molars were divided into 3 groups of 20 samples each in terms of root curvature (mild bending group, 10 °-19 °; moderate bending group, 20 °-29 °; severe bending group, 30 °-39 °). Ten samples of each group were then randomly allocated to the PTU and PTG file systems. After preparation, all roots were stained using a dyeing method and sectioned at the most curved plane and 2 mm below and above the most curved plane with a low-speed saw under cold water. A stereomicroscope was used to inspect dentinal microcracks at 60 × magnification, and differences between these three instrument groups were analyzed using the chi - square test.

The PTG file system induced significantly fewer dentinal microcracks for total, incomplete and complete cracks (P < 0.05), and the effect was more obvious with increasing canal curvature.

With the limitations of this in vitro study, it can be concluded that ProTaper Gold can result in fewer dentinal microcracks than ProTaper Universal.