OBJETIVO: Simular tecidos moles e duros para avaliar a radiopacidade de três cimentos endodônticos. METODOLOGIA: Cinco espécimes circulares (10x1 mm) foram confeccionados e três situações experimentais foram criadas. Situação #1: espécime e uma escala de alumínio foram submetidos a 3 tomadas radiográficas digitais. Situação #2: um segmento retromolar de uma mandibula humana contendo o espécime foi posicionada entre o aparelho de raio X e o sensor digital. Situação #3: um simulador de tecido mole (cera utilidade - 30 mm) foi associado ao segmento mandibular. A média dos valores de cinza foi medida através do programa ImageTool 3.0. Análise de variância de dois critérios e Teste de Tukey (α=0.05) foram realizados para análise estatística. RESULTADOS: A radiopacidade aumentou quando tecido ósseo foi usado (P<0.05), exceto para o Ah Plus. A Situação #3 proporcionou os maiores valores de radiopacidade (P<0.05). Os valores de radiopacidade entre o cimento mais e o menos radiopaco diminuiu 44% quando as situações #1 e #3 foram comparadas. CONCLUSÃO: A simulação de tecidos moles e duros influencia a radiopacidade de cimentos endodônticos.

PURPOSE: To simulate soft and hard tissues to assess radiopacity of three root canal sealers (Endofill, AH Plus and Sealer 26). METHODS: Five circular specimens (10x1 mm) were made and three experimental conditions were created. Situation #1: an aluminum step wedge allowed specimen being submitted to three digital radiographs. Situation #2: a retromolar mandibular segment containing the specimen was positioned between the digital sensor and X-ray machine. Situation #3: a soft tissue simulating material (utility wax - 30 mm) was associated with the mandibular segment. Mean gray values were measured using ImageTool 3.0 software. Two-way ANOVA and Tukey's test (α=0.05) was performed. RESULTS: Radiopacity increased when bone tissue was used (P<0.05), except for AH Plus. Situation #3 provided greater radiopacity (P<0.05). Radiopacity between most and least sealers decreased 44% when Situation #1 and #3 were compared. CONCLUSION: Simulated soft and hard tissues influenced the radiopacity of root canal sealers.

Coronal leakage is an important factor affecting the outcome of endodontic therapy. This study evaluated the microbial leakage (ML) and the apical inflammatory response (AIR) in dog's teeth after root canal filling with three endodontic sealers, post preparation and exposure to the oral environment, testing the hypothesis that there is a positive correlation between these two histological parameters (ML and AIR). Sixty-four root canals of 8 mongrel dogs were cleaned, shaped and randomly distributed into groups according to the sealer to be used: Sealer 26 (n=18); AH Plus (n=18); RoekoSeal (n=19); no sealer - control group (n=9). Root canals were filled by the lateral condensation technique. Post space preparation left 4 mm of filling material in the apical root third, and specimens were exposed to the oral environment for 90 days. The dogs were killed and jaw blocks were histologically processed using Brown & Brenn and HE staining techniques. ML and AIR were scored from 1 to 4. Results were analyzed statistically using ANOVA, Duncan's post-hoc test and Spearman's correlation. ML and AIR score means were: Sealer 26 - 2.44±0.98 and 2.50±0.70; AH Plus - 2.50±0.78 and 2.22±0.54; RoekoSeal - 1.84±0.95 and 2.63±0.83; Control - 2.56±1.23 and 3.11±0.60. Statistically significant differences in AIR scores were found between the AH Plus and control groups (p<0.05). Although RoekoSeal had the lowest ML means, and AH Plus, the lowest AIR means after 90-day exposure to the oral environment, no statistically significant differences were found between the three sealers under study, and no correlation was found between ML and AIR.