Short- and long-term sealing ability of Gutta-flow and AH-Plus using an ex vivo fluid transport model.
To use the fluid transport model to evaluate the ex vivo short- and long-term microleakage along root canals filled with Gutta-flow or AH-Plus using the cold lateral compaction technique. A total of 38 single-rooted human teeth were used for the assessment of microleakage. The crowns of the teeth were sectioned below their cemento-enamel junctions to adjust the length of the roots to approximately 15 mm. The root canals were instrumented using the step-back technique and filled using cold lateral condensation. The sealer employed was either Gutta-flow (Group A) or AH-Plus (Group B). Microleakage along the root canals was evaluated using a fluid transport model after periods of 1 week and 3 months. The microleakage values (microL h(-1)) for group A were 0.36 +/- 0.33 at 1 week and 0.41 +/- 0.36 at 3 months. Group B showed mean microleakage values 0.2 +/- 0.31 at 1 week and 0.28 +/- 0.38 at 3 months. Statistical analysis indicated no significant differences (P > 0.05) between the two groups after either 1 week or 3 months. There was no significant difference between AH-plus and Gutta-flow in terms of sealing ability.