Apically extruded debris during root canal preparation using ProTaper Gold, ProTaper Universal, ProTaper Next, and RECIPROC instruments

Purpose: The aim of this study was to determine the amount of apically extruded debris during root canal preparation with ProTaper Gold (PTG) (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland), ProTaper Universal (PTU) (Dentsply Maillefer), ProTaper Next (PTN) (Dentsply Maillefer), and RECIPROC (VDW, Munich, Germany) in curved canals. Methods: Eighty human mandibular molar teeth were divided into 4 groups according to the system used for root canal preparation: PTG, PTU, PTN, and RECIPROC groups. The mean weight of extruded debris was statistically analyzed using one-way analysis of variance and post-hoc Tukey's test (alpha = 0.05). Results: The PTU was associated with significantly more extruded debris than the PTG, PTN, and RECIPROC (p<0.05). The PTG was associated with significantly more extruded debris than the PTN and RECIPROC (p<0.05), whereas no significant difference was found between the RECIPROC and PTN (p>0.05). Conclusions: All systems caused apical debris extrusion during curved canal preparations. However, the PTG, PTN, and RECIPROC systems resulted in significantly less debris extrusion than the PTU system.