The retreatment abilities of ProTaper Next and F6 Skytaper: a micro-computed tomography study

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the retreatment abilities of the ProTaper Next (PTN) and F6 SkyTaper (F6) systems by using micro-computed tomography (micro-ct), radiographic and microscopic imaging techniques. Materials and Methods: The root canals of twenty-six extracted mandibular premolar teeth were prepared and obturated. For the retreatment procedure, the teeth were randomly divided into two equal groups according to endodontic instruments: PTN (X4) and F6 (#40/.06). P re- and post-operative filling material volumes were measured with micro-ct, and areas were measured with radiographic and microscopic imaging techniques. The percentages of residual material calculated were statistically compared. Results: There was no statistically significant difference between F6 and PTN for retreatment efficacy in the micro-ct and radiographic imaging techniques. PTN demonstrated better cleaning ability when evaluated by microscopic imaging. (p Conclusion: The PTN and F6 files had similar effects in the removal of filling material with micro-ct evaluation. The radiographic imaging method gave similar results with micro-ct imaging.