Glide Path Preparation Times for Three Different Rotary Systems

Introduction: The preparation of a glide path not only helps reduce the risk of instrument separation but also conveys to the clinician an intimate knowledge of the tortuous anatomy of the root canal from the orifice to the terminus. Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the preparation times of three different glide path preparation systems using nickel-titanium files in a rotary motion and compare the results with a glide path preparation group using manual stainless-steel hand files (control).  Materials and Methods: ISO 15, 0.02 taper Endo-Training-Blocks (n = 80) were selected and randomly divided into 4 groups (n = 20): Group 1: Glide path preparation with stainless-steel hand files (control); Group 2: Glide path preparation with the rotary ProGlider file (Dentsply/Maillefer); Group 3: Glide path preparation with rotary PathFiles (Dentsply/Maillefer); Group 4: Glide path preparation with rotary X-Plorer files (Clinicians Choice Dental Products). The total time it took to prepare the glide paths was recorded with an electronic stop watch. The time it took to change instruments, irrigate, cleaning of instruments, recapitulation and re-irrigation was not recorded. The different segments in each group was added and calculated and the data of the different parts of the project were collected and statistically analysed using the ANOVA / Bonferroni test. Results: The slowest preparation time was recorded with hand files (24.3s) (P < 0.001). Glide path preparation time with Pathfiles (17.2s) and X-Plorer Files (18.5s) were significantly faster than with hand files (P < 0.001). The fastest preparation time was recorded with the ProGlider file (11.3s) (P < 0.001). Conclusion: Glide path preparation with the single ProGlider instrument resulted in significantly shorter preparation times compared to all the other methods evaluated.