Comparison of sealing ability of Geristore and Mineral trioxide aggregate as root-end filling material in dry and saliva-contaminated environment.

objectiveTo evaluate the sealing capabilities of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and Geristore as retrograde filling materials in dry and saliva-contaminated environments. METHODOLOGY: Seventy-two extracted single-rooted premolars were included. Root canals were prepared and obturated following decoronation. Each root's apical 3 mm was removed, and via ultrasonic tips, uniform retrograde cavities were created. The teeth were divided into four groups (n = 18) at random: MTA dry, MTA wet, Geristore dry, and Geristore wet. After that, samples were submerged in methylene blue dye (1%) for 48 h. A stereomicroscope was used to examine the longitudinally sectioned roots at a magnification of 25.6×. The linear penetration of dye was measured using ImageJ software. Tukey's post hoc test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used in SPSS data analysis.

resultsOne-way ANOVA demonstrated a significant difference in dye penetration among the four groups (p < 0.001). In both dry (0.64 ± 0.42 mm) and wet (0.65 ± 0.32 mm) conditions, Geristore demonstrated similar sealing ability (p = 1.000). In contrast, MTA exhibited significantly lower dye penetration in dry conditions (0.47 ± 0.21 mm) than in wet conditions (1.13 ± 0.26 mm; p < 0.001), with the wet MTA group demonstrating the greatest microleakage.

conclusionGeristore demonstrated consistent sealing ability irrespective of environmental conditions. Although MTA performed similarly in dry conditions, its sealing ability was significantly compromised by salivary contamination. Geristore may therefore be a more reliable root-end filling material when moisture control is difficult.