The Amount of Apically Extruded Debris in Hand and Power-Driven Instrumentation Techniques: A Comparative Ex-Vivo Study

Objective: To compare the amount of debris extruded apically between various root canal instrumentation techniques. Material and Methods: 60 extracted human premolars were randomly divided into 4 groups (n= 15). The first group was instrumented with manual stainless steel instrumentation (ISO Manual Files). The second group was instrumented with Pro-Taper Manual Files. The third group was instrumented with Pro-Taper Power-driven Files "UDG". The Fourth Group was instrumented with Pro-Taper Power-driven Files "Fanta". Eppendorf tubes were numbered and used for each root to collect apically extruded debris during root canal instrumentation. The Eppendorf tubes were weighed 3 times before and 3 times after instrumentation to calculate the average amount of apically extruded debris and to compare results between the 4 groups. Results: There was a significant difference in the amount of apical extrusion of debris (g) between all groups (p<0.05). The amount of apically extruded debris in root canals instrumented by power-driven instrumentation techniques was significantly less than in root canals instrumented by manual instrumentation techniques. Conclusion: There was a significant difference in the amount of apical debris extrusion between various root canal instrumentation techniques.