Comparison of Root Canal Cleaning Ability of ProTaper and Liberator Rotary NiTi Instrument Systems-A SEM Study

 Effective cleaning and shaping of the root canal system is essential for achieving the biological and mechanical objectives of root canal treatment.  The objective of this study was to compare the root canal cleaning effectiveness of two different rotary Nickel-Titanium instruments using scanning electron microscopy. In Group 1-cleaning and shaping was done using ProTaper to size 30 (F3) and in Group 2- cleaning and shaping was done using Liberator to size 30 (6%). Two uninstrumented teeth in each group were taken as control group. Instrumentation was done according to manufacturer’s instructions. The intracanal irrigant used after each file was 2 ml of 3.0% sodium hypochlorite. All samples were decoronated, split buccolingually for evaluation under SEM to determine canal cleanliness. All teeth were analyzed with the SEM at 20.0 kV and 500 magnifications in the middle third of the canal.  Result showed the amount of debris present after root canal instrumentation with Liberator and ProTaper were statistically insignificant