Background: Antimicrobial photodynamic therapy (aPDT) has been used for the disinfection of root canals. Studies have been carried out on its effect on the bond-strength and penetration of endodontic sealers. The aim of this systematic review is to critically analyze the literature and summarize the outcomes of these studies.
Materials and methods: An electronic search was conducted on research databases PubMED/Medline, ISI Web of Knowledge, Embase, Scopus and Europe PMC using the following the medical subject headings (MeSH) terms and keywords: [((endodontic sealer) OR (endodontic sealant) OR (root canal sealer)) AND ((anti-microbial photodynamic therapy) OR (laser-assisted) OR (light-assisted) OR (photosensitive dye) OR (photosensitizer)) AND ((bond-strength) OR (penetration))] for all literature published from inception to September 2022. Clinical studies, animal studies, laboratory investigations and case reports were included. Data was extracted and the quality of the included studies was assessed.
Results: Of the 204 studies screen initially, 12 laboratory studies were included in this review. Majority of the outcomes revealed that aPDT does not have an adverse impact on the bond-strength or sealer penetration. Furthermore, AH Plus (an epoxy-based sealer) resulted in higher bond-strengths than other types of sealers (MTA Fillapex, Sealapex and Bioceramics). 11 studies were graded as having 'medium' quality and one study was graded as 'low'.
Conclusion: Within the limitations of this review, aPDT does not have a significant impact on the bonding and penetration of endodontic sealers. Future studies should focus on standardization and optimization of aPDT procedures when assessing their impact on the interaction between sealers and dentine.
Keywords: Bond strength; Dentin penetration; Endodontics; Sealers; Systematic review.
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