3Dentist, Private Practice

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the cleaning ability and instrumentation time of manual and rotary methods used for preparation of primary an-terior teeth. Materials and Methods: Forty-four primary anterior teeth were used in this experi-mental study. Access cavities were prepared and India ink was injected into the canals. The samples were divided into three groups according to the instrument and preparation technique. In group I the root canals were manually instrumented with K-files. Rotary Flexmaster instruments were used for canal preparation in Group II, and the samples in Group III (control) were not instrumented. After canal preparation, the teeth were cleared with methyl salicilate and the removal of India ink was measured in the cervical, middle and apical thirds. The incidence of file breakage and instrumentation time was recorded in the three study groups. Statistical analysis was performed using Mann-Whitney and t-tests. Results: There was no significant difference in cleaning capacity between the two tech-niques, but a significant difference was found between the experimental and control groups. Working time was significantly shorter when using the rotary system. No file fracture was observed during the study period. ~ Corresponding author