The effect of ultrasonic access cavity preparation on dentinal inner walls: a micro-CT study on cadaveric samples

Objective The objective of this study is to evaluate the occurrence of coronal dentinal micro-cracks after access cavity refinement using high-speed burs and ultrasonic tips by means of micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) analysis. Methods In this study, 18 mandibular cadaveric incisors were divided into two groups according to the protocol of the preparation of the conventional access cavity. The diamond bur 802 # 12 was used until the perforation of the pulp roof. Then, the Endo-Z bur was used for the group #1 and the ultrasonic tip Start-X # 1 for the group #2 to finish and refine the access cavity. The preparation time of each access cavity has been recorded. The teeth underwent a micro-CT scan before and after the preparation of the access cavity. Fisher's exact test, the Chi-square test, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test, the Mann–Whitney test, and the Student's test were used for statistical evaluation. Results The percentage of teeth with new micro-cracks is not significantly different between the two groups (- p -value < 0.5). The number of newly formed micro-cracks and extension size were not significantly different between the two groups. The direction of extension of the micro- cracks was occluso-apical. The average duration of the access cavity is significantly smaller with the Endo-Z system (- p - value < 0.001). The roughness of walls surfaces has no statistically difference between the two groups. Conclusion The use of ultrasound, although slower, is considered safe in the creation of dentinal micro-cracks, in the preparation of the access cavity.