In vitro comparison of three materials as apical sealants of equine premolar and molar teeth.
Authors: Steenkamp G, Olivier-Carstens A, van Heerden W F P, Crossley D A, Boy S C
Journal: Equine veterinary journal
Summary
# Editorial Summary: Apical Sealants in Equine Endodontic Surgery Microleakage around apical restorations remains a significant source of failure in equine surgical endodontics, prompting researchers to evaluate which restorative materials provide the most effective barrier. Steenkamp and colleagues tested three materials—reinforced zinc oxide-eugenol cement, intermediate restorative material (IRM), and resin-modified glass ionomer—by performing apicoectomies on 30 extracted equine cheek teeth, sealing the apices with each material, then immersing the specimens in Procion Brilliant Cresyl Blue dye for seven days to assess microleakage under microscopic examination. All three materials demonstrated some dye penetration with no statistically significant difference between groups (P = 0.114), suggesting comparable sealing efficacy in vitro. Whilst the laboratory findings showed equivalent performance, IRM emerged as the clinically preferred choice due to superior handling characteristics and reduced moisture sensitivity during placement—factors that substantially influence real-world success rates where technique and environmental conditions cannot be controlled as precisely. For practitioners performing apical restorations, these results indicate that material selection should balance sealing potential with practical manageability, particularly in the challenging intraoral environment where IRM's ease of use may translate to more consistently reliable outcomes than theoretically equivalent alternatives.
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Practical Takeaways
- •When performing surgical endodontic therapy in horses, IRM is the preferred apical sealant material because it is easier to place and less affected by moisture contamination than alternatives
- •While all three tested materials provide adequate sealing in laboratory conditions, clinical performance depends as much on handling characteristics and placement technique as on material composition
- •Expect some microleakage around apical restorations regardless of material choice; success depends on minimizing other sources of failure in surgical endodontic cases
Key Findings
- •All three materials (IRM, resin-modified glass ionomer, and amalgam) demonstrated dye leakage with no statistically significant difference between groups (P = 0.114)
- •IRM, resin-modified glass ionomer, and amalgam showed comparative sealing ability as apical sealants in equine teeth in vitro
- •IRM was identified as clinically superior due to ease of handling and reduced sensitivity to moisture during placement