Efficacy of ultrasonic vibration in warm gutta-percha vertical compaction

AIM: Vertical compaction of warm gutta-percha is a methodology to seal root canals and it might be associated with ultrasonic vibration. The aim of this paper was to determine whether vertical compaction of warm gutta-percha used with ultrasonic vibrations performs better compared to the traditional one. METHODS: Twenty-four single-rooted teeth were endodontically treated and randomly divided into two groups: in the first group (G1), teeth were filled using vertical compaction, while in the other (G2), vertical compaction was used with ultrasonic vibration. A microleakage test was performed after 24 h and 30 days from root canal sealing. RESULTS: After 24 hours, microleakage was similar in both groups (0.013 µL/min; SD 0.008); after 30 days, it was 0.006 µL/min (SD 0.004) in G1 and 0.004 µL/min (SD 0.003) in G2 (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Under these experimental conditions, ultrasonic vibration used with vertical compaction produced a similar level of sealing as the traditional method.