Sealer penetration in the dentinal tubules: A confocal laser scanning microscopy study

Context: The penetration of sealer into dentinal tubules is considered to be a desirable feature as sealers prevent the colonization of residual bacteria into the dentinal tubules because of their antibacterial properties. Aims: This study aims to compare the depth of penetration of ADSEAL, Sealapex, and BioRoot RCS into the dentinal tubules in the apical area using confocal laser scanning microscope (CLSM). Settings and Design: Quality improvement projects. Materials and Method: After decoronating 120 extracted single rooted teeth, preparation was done using ProTaper universal rotary files until F3. Then, the samples were divided into four groups (n = 40) and obturated by the following endodontic sealers: Group A-ADSEAL, Group B-Sealapex and Group C-BioRoot RCS along with F3 gutta-percha cone. Before root canal filling, the sealers were mixed with 0.1% Rhodamine B dye. All the samples were sectioned at 3 mm and 5 mm from apex and visualized under CLSM. Statistical Analysis Used: Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests. Results: BioRoot RCS has shown significantly higher depth of penetration than resin based sealer and calcium hydroxide based sealer (α Conclusion: At all root regions, BioRoot RCS exhibited more tubular penetration whereas ADSEAL exhibited less penetration.