In Vitro Evaluation of the Effect of a Warm or Cold Obturation Technique on Apical Microleakage with Various Bioceramic Sealers
Kyle Gaudet, DDS1*; Albert F. McMullen III, DDS, FACD2; Hunter Kortum, B.S3; Thomas Lallier, PhD4
1Postgraduate Endodontic Resident, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC), USA.
2Department Head and Postgraduate Director, Endodontics, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC), USA.
3Dental Student, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC), USA.
4Professor, Cell Biology and Anatomy Coordinator for Student Research, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC), USA.
*Corresponding Author: Kyle Gaudet, DDS: Postgraduate Endodontic Resident, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center (LSUHSC), USA.
https://doi.org/10.58624/SVOADE.2026.07.019
Received: May 08, 2026
Published: June 01, 2026
Citation: Gaudet K, McMullen III AF, Kortum H, Lallier T. In Vitro Evaluation of the Effect of a Warm or Cold Obturation Technique on Apical Microleakage with Various Bioceramic Sealers. SVOA Dentistry 2026, 7:3, 144-151. doi: 10.58624/SVOADE.2026.07.019
Abstract
Background: Research has shown that heat from warm obturation techniques can affect properties of bioceramic sealers, such as altering setting time, flow, and film thickness. However, no study has shown if these heat-induced changes can influence their apical sealing ability. Therefore, this study aims to determine if obturation technique, particularly a warm technique, can influence the apical sealing ability of various bioceramic sealers. The hypothesis is that the obturation technique will not influence the apical sealing ability of the tested sealers.
Methods: Ninety-six extracted single-rooted human teeth were decoronated, cleaned, shaped, and randomly divided into eight groups (n = 12) based on obturation technique and sealer. There was one positive control, one negative control, and six experimental groups. Obturation included either single cone or warm vertical condensation technique with Brassler’s BC Sealer, BC Sealer HiFlow, or recently released BC Sealer Ion+. After obturation, roots were sealed with nail polish (except the apical foramen), submerged in methylene blue dye, and cleared using a decalcification and dehydration protocol. Dye penetration was measured from the apical foramen to the deepest coronal extent using ImageJ software. Statistical analysis was performed using multiple student’s t-tests for all group combinations (p < 0.05).
Results: Results demonstrated that the positive control group showed significantly more apical dye leakage when compared to all other groups, with average dye leakage of 177.81 ± 82.75μm. No significant differences in apical dye penetration were observed amongst the six experimental groups.
Conclusions: Within the limitations of this study, it is considered safe to utilize a warm obturation technique with bioceramic sealers marketed for both warm and/or cold obturation techniques. These findings demonstrate that the studied bioceramic sealers can be safely used with either a cold or warm obturation technique, expecting the apical seal to be adequate with any combination of these sealers or obturation techniques utilized in this study.
Keywords: Dye Leakage, Bioceramic Sealer, Single Cone, Warm Vertical Condensation
