The purpose of this study was a long-term comparison of the dimensiona
l changes of endodontic sealers of diverse properties. The sealers wer
e injected as thin layers on the internal walls of glass pipettes 1 mm
in diameter. The pipettes were filled with deionized water, and the w
ater meniscus levels were recorded periodically up to 180 days. The wa
ter was removed from the pipettes, samples were allowed to dry, and th
e mass and the volume of the sealers were measured. AH26 and Endo-Fill
had an initial expansion followed by a volumetric loss: The two zinc
oxide eugenol-based sealers studied started to shrink within hours aft
er mixing; the first volumetric loss for AH26 was recorded during the
first 30 days and for Endo-Fill after 30 days. The least dimensional c
hange at any time was observed for Endo-Fill. It was concluded that a
significant dimensional change and continued volume loss can occur in
some endodontic sealers.