The effect of ultrasonic access cavity preparation on dentinal inner walls: a micro-CT study on cadaveric samples

• Published in: Oral radiology 2023-10, Vol.39 (4), p.639-645
• Main Authors: Zogheib, C., Roumi, R., Baldi, A., Palopoli, P., Pasqualini, D., Berutti, E., Alovisi, M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Cadaver; Cadavers; Computed tomography; Dental pulp; Dentistry; Humans; Imaging; Incisor; Incisors; Medicine; Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery; Original Article; Radiology; Root Canal Preparation - methods; Teeth; Ultrasonics; X-Ray Microtomography
• ISSN: 0911-6028; 1613-9674; 1613-9674
• DOI: 10.1007/s11282-023-00680-z

Objective The objective of this study is to evaluate the occurrence of coronal dentinal micro-cracks after access cavity refinement using high-speed burs and ultrasonic tips by means of micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) analysis. Methods In this study, 18 mandibular cadaveric incisors were divided into two groups according to the protocol of the preparation of the conventional access cavity. The diamond bur 802 # 12 was used until the perforation of the pulp roof. Then, the Endo-Z bur was used for the group #1 and the ultrasonic tip Start-X # 1 for the group #2 to finish and refine the access cavity. The preparation time of each access cavity has been recorded. The teeth underwent a micro-CT scan before and after the preparation of the access cavity. Fisher's exact test, the Chi-square test, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, the Mann–Whitney test, and the Student's test were used for statistical evaluation. Results The percentage of teeth with new micro-cracks is not significantly different between the two groups (- p -value