Eur Endod J. 2025; 10(1): 41-46 | DOI: 10.14744/eej.2024.43650

Evaluation of Apically Extruded Debris During Root Canal Preparation Using ProTaper Ultimate and ProTaper Gold: An Ex Vivo Study

Madiun Mohamed Alhayki¹, Bassem Eid¹, Ranya Elemam¹, Tarek Elsewify^2
1Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, Gulf Medical University, College of Dentistry, Ajman, UAE
²Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, Gulf Medical University, College of Dentistry, Ajman, UAE; Department of Endodontics, Ain Shams University, Faculty of Dentistry, Cairo, Egypt

Objective: To assess the extruded debris apically by the ProTaper Ultimate rotary nickel-titanium files compared to the ProTaper Gold files on preparing the mesiobuccal root canals of mandibular molars.
Methods: Thirty mandibular molars with mesial canals showing Vertucci Type-IV configuration and curvatures ranging between 20° to 40° were selected and divided into two groups per the rotary files used for root canal shaping (n=15). Myers and Montgomery’s methodology was adopted for the collection of debris. The average weight of the collected dried debris was recorded and statistically analyzed using the independent t-test at a significance level of (p<0.05) after log transformation.
Results: The ProTaper Ultimate showed significantly less debris extruded (2.35±0.65 mg) than ProTaper Gold (3.25±0.47 mg) (p=0.001).
Conclusion: ProTaper Ultimate can efficiently prepare curved root canals with the minimal amount of apical debris extruded compared to ProTaper Gold. (EEJ-2024-06-100)

Keywords: Apical debris extrusion, nickel-titanium, postoperative pain, ProTaper Gold, ProTaper Ultimate, root canal preparation

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