Sealing ability of three commercial mineral trioxide aggregates and an experimental root-end filling material

The purpose of this study was to compare the sealability of three different commercial types of mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and calcium enrichment mixture (CEM) cement as an experimental root-end filling material. Forty-six single rooted teeth were cleaned, shaped, and obturated. The apical 3 mm of each root was resected and root-end cavities with 3 mm depth were prepared. The samples were randomly divided into 4 experimental groups comprised of 10 roots each. The cavities were filled with CEM cement and MTAs. Six roots were used as positive and negative controls. Samples were prepared and then immersed in 1% methylene blue dye for 3 days. Roots were split longitudinally and examined under stereomicroscope. Positive and negative controls responded as expected. CEM cement showed the least mean dye penetration value. ANOVA revealed no statistically significant differences among experimental groups. It was concluded that the experimental CEM cement exhibited similar sealing property as commercial types of MTA.