TESTING OF SEALING ABILITY OF ENDODONTIC FILLING MATERIALS

Incomplete obturation of the root canal system is the major cause of e ndodontic failure. Endodontic filling materials with ability to seal t he root canal are, therefore, essential for successful endodontic ther apy. However, assessment of sealing ability is not included in the req uirements specified in the current international standard covering roo t canal sealers. A number of different in vitro methods have been used to evaluate the sealing quality of endodontic filling materials. The tests have usually been leakage tests, i.e. based on assessment of pen etration of a tracer along the obturated root canal. Leakage tests hav e poor reproducibility and are, therefore, not suited for standardized test programs. By selecting the properties necessary for sealing abil ity and testing them separately, it might be possible to find a number of tests, which individually are suitable for a standardized test pro gram, and which combined will give information on the sealing ability of the test material.