• Journal of Korean Dental Science
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.112-120
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• 2022

In this article, the contemporary root canal treatment procedure using nickel-titanium (NiTi) instruments was reviewed to understand the correlations between the properties of files and safety of the clinical usage. Literatures were reviewed according to the process of clinical procedure of the root canal preparation, mainly for shaping during orifice flaring, glide-path preparation, and main canal instrumentation. Considering the reasons for NiTi file fracture, clinically implacable issues and ideas were discussed to reduce the fracture risk and increase clinical efficiency of the NiTi file systems. Various kinds of NiTi file systems have their own characteristics and properties given from their geometries and heat treatments and so on. Proper selection and careful usage of the NiTi file systems may reduce the risk of file fracture and increase the efficiency of NiTi file systems. Understanding of the clinical implications from the mechanical properties and characteristics of the engine driven NiTi instruments may decrease the risk of NiTi file fractures and increase the success rate in root canal treatment.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.38 no.2
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• pp.93-97
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• 2013

During root canal preparation procedures, the potential for instrument breakage is always present. When instrument breakage occurs, it leads to anxiety of the clinician and as well as a metallic obstruction of the canal which hinders further cleaning and shaping. Separated instruments must always be attempted for retrieval and if retrieval is not possible bypass should be tried. With the increased use of nickel-titanium (NiTi) instruments the incidence of separated instruments has increased. A considerable amount of research has been done to understand the various factors related to the fracture of NiTi instruments to minimize its occurrence. This paper presents a review of the literature regarding the fracture of NiTi instruments and also describes a case report showing the use of a modified 18-guage needle and cyanoacrylate glue to retrieve a separated NiTi instrument from the mesiolingual canal of a mandibular first molar.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.36 no.1
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• pp.1-11
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• 2011

Introduction: The aim of this paper is to discuss the mechanical and geometric features of Nickel-titanium (NiTi) rotary files and its clinical effects. NiTi rotary files have been introduced to the markets with their own geometries and claims that they have better ability for the root canal shaping than their competitors. The contents of this paper include the (possible) interrelationship between the geometries of NiTi file (eg. tip, taper, helical angle, etc) and clinical performance of the files as follows; - Fracture modes of NiTi rotary files - Non-cutting guiding tip and glide path - Taper and clinical effects - Cross-sectional area and clinical effects - Heat treatments and surface characteristics - Screw-in effect and preservation of root dentin integrity - Designs for reducing screw-in effect Conclusions: Based on the reviewed contents, clinicians may have an advice to use various brands of NiTi rotary instruments regarding their advantages which would fit for clinical situation.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.25.1-25.12
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• 2020

Objectives: This systematic review evaluated the influence of autoclave sterilization procedures on the cyclic fatigue resistance of heat-treated nickel-titanium (NiTi) instruments. Materials and Methods: A systematic search without restrictions was conducted in the following electronic databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, ScienceDirect, Cochrane, and Open Grey. The hand search was also performed in the main endodontic journals. The eligible studies were submitted to the methodological assessment and data extraction. Results: From 203 abstracts, a total of 10 articles matched the eligible criteria. After reading the full articles, 2 were excluded because of the absence of the heat-treated instruments in the experimental design and 3 due to the lack of a control group using heat-treated instruments without autoclave sterilization. From the 5 included studies, 1 presented a low risk of bias, 3 presented moderate and 1 high risk. It was observed heterogeneous findings in the included studies, with autoclave sterilization cycles increasing, decreasing or not affecting the cyclic fatigue life of heat-treated NiTi instruments. However, the retrieved studies evaluating the cyclic fatigue resistance of endodontic instruments presented different protocols and assessing outcomes, this variability makes the findings less comparable within and also between groups and preclude the establishment of an unbiased scientific evidence base. Conclusions: Considering the little scientific evidence and considerable risk of bias, it is still possible to conclude that autoclave sterilization procedures appear to influence the cyclic fatigue resistance of heat-treated NiTi instruments.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.52 no.2
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• pp.60-68
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• 2014

Nickel-Titanium(NiTi) rotary instruments have brought a big step toward "efficient" practice of endodontic procedure. The rotary files help clinicians to reduce their working time and also increase the clinical success rate with minimal procedural errors by stainless steel instruments. In spite of these advantages, NiTi instruments still have a few drawbacks including unpredictable fatigue fracture. Clinicians may reduce the potential risk of instruments fracture by following some clinical guidelines for rotary instruments. In some clinical cases of instruments fracture, we may try to remove the instruments' fragments or bypass the fragment to reach the apical canal. In some limited cases, the fractured instruments' fragments would not jeopardize the clinical prognosis of root canal treatment. However, it is impossible to be overemphasized that the fragment removal is more difficult than the prevention of fracture. Clinicians need to understand the fracture mechanisms and, in clinic, need to discard the used instruments timely.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.54 no.8
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• pp.640-650
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• 2016

Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) rotary instruments have brought a big step toward "efficient" practice of endodontic procedure. The rotary files help clinicians to reduce their working time and also increase the clinical success rate with minimal procedural errors. However, NiTi instruments still have a few drawbacks including unpredictable fatigue fracture. Clinicians may reduce the potential risk of instruments fracture by following some clinical guidelines for rotary instruments. In some clinical cases of instruments fracture, we may try to remove the instruments' fragments or bypass the fragment to reach the apical canal. In some limited cases, the fractured instruments' fragments would not jeopardize the clinical prognosis of root canal treatment. Nevertheless, it is impossible to be overemphasized that the prevention of file fracture is much easier than the removal of fracture fragment. Clinicians need to understand the fracture mechanisms and, in clinic, need to discard the used instruments timely.

• Restorative Dentistry and Endodontics
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• v.37 no.4
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• pp.220-227
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• 2012

Objectives: The study was to compare the shaping ability of Reciproc (VDW) and WaveOne (Dentsply Maillefer) instruments compared with ProTaper, Profile and hand instrument during the preparation of simulated root canals. Materials and Methods: Five groups (n = 5) were established. Reciproc, WaveOne, ProTaper, Profile and K file (K-flexo file) were used to prepare the resin simulated canals. A series of preoperative and postoperative images were taken by a microscope and superimposed in 2 different layers. The amount of resin removed from both the inner and the outer sides of the canal was measured to the level of 10 mm from the apical tip, with a 1 mm increment. Results: The mean of resin removal from the inner canal wall was not different from the outer canal wall for Reciproc and WaveOne groups at apical third (1 - 3 mm level). There was no difference in the change of working length and maintenance of canal curvature. NiTi instruments are superior to stainless-steel K file in their shaping ability. Conclusions: Within the limitation of this present study, Reciproc and WaveOne instruments maintained the original canal curvature in curved canals better than ProTaper and Profile, which tend to transport towards the outer canal wall of the curve in the apical part of the canal.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.27 no.1
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• pp.99-107
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• 2011

The main objective of nonsurgical retreatment is to disinfect the root canal space for periradicular healing. Thus, efficient removal of the filling material from the root canal system is essential to ensure a favorable outcome. Traditionally, the removal of root canal filling material was performed by stainless steel hand instrument and this procedure is time and effort-consuming. Recently, rotary NiTi retreatment instruments are developed to effective removal of root canal filling material. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of stainless-steel hand instrument and rotary NiTi retreatment instrument when removing gutta-percha in curved root canals. For the remaining materials, there were no significant differences between groups. But the rotary NiTi system proved to be faster than hand instruments in removing root filling materials.

• Journal of Dental Rehabilitation and Applied Science
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.371-383
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• 2012

Shaping the root canal system to maintain original canal curvature is essential to clinical success in endodontic treatment. Opposed to most root canals that are curved, endodontic instruments are made from straight metal blanks. They have a tendency of straightening the root canal during preparation and frequently result in procedural errors. A new treatment method to maintain original canal curvature during shaping has been introduced for preventing procedural errors. The aim of this study was to compare the ability of instruments to maintain original canal curvature of continuous rotary system and single file system. Thirty ISO 15, 0.02 taper, Endo Training Blocks(Dentsplay Maillefer) were used. Specimens were assigned to 1 of 3 groups for shaping: specimens in group 1 were shaped with ProFile #20/.06 at the WL. Specimens in group 2 were shaped with Mtwo #35/.04 at the WL. Specimens in group 3 were shaped with WaveOne Primary reciprocating files at the WL after the glide path was achieved with PathFile. Pre- and postinstrumentation digital images were superimposed and processed with Matlab r2010b(The MathWorks Inc, Natick, MA) software to analyze the curvature-radius ratio(CRr), representing canal curvature modification. Data for comparison on the ability of instruments to maintain original canal curvature depending on each Ni-Ti file were analyzed with 1-way ANOVA(P<.05). Data for comparison on the ability of instruments to maintain original canal curvature depending on each Ni-Ti file system were analyzed with independent t-test(P<.05). A statistically significant difference(P<0.05) was noted on each Ni-Ti file. ProFile and WaveOne instrumentations maintained the original canal curvature significantly better(P<0.05) than Mtwo file. There were no significant difference(P>0.05) between continuous rotary system and single file system. Under the conditions of this study, ProFile and WaveOne instruments maintained the original curvature significantly better than Mtwo file and were less modification of the canal curvature compared. There was no significant difference between continuous rotary system and single file system in shaping of simulated canals. As clinical practitioners, it may be advantages to use hybrid approach when root canal shapes depending on the design and usage of Ni-Ti files.

• The Journal of the Korean dental association
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• v.51 no.10
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• pp.551-555
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• 2013

The purpose of this study was to give a guideline for selecting the nickel-titanium (NiTi) file by review from many studies. Since the early 1990s, several instrument systems manufactured from NiTi have been introduced into endodontic practice. The specific design characteristics vary, such as tip shape and size, cross sectional view, helix angle, and pitch space. Some of the early systems have been removed from the market or play only minor roles; others are still widely used. New designs continually are produced, but the extent to which clinical outcomes will depend on design characteristics is difficult to forecast. In this study, I have reviewed the different design characteristics in respect of the safety and efficiency. With the review from many studies, I concluded that the clinicians must be understand the specific design characteristics for selecting the ideal NiTi rotary instruments.