Objective: The purpose of this in vitro study was to evaluate the coronal leakage of microorganisms from saliva into root canals filled by 3 obturation techniques.
Study design: Obturated canals were mounted in an apparatus and then exposed to human saliva. The number of days required for the entire contamination of the root canal was recorded. Evaluation was carried out for 60 days.
Results: Regardless of the technique used, a significant number of specimens were contaminated after 30 and 60 days. No significant differences were detected among the techniques (P >.05).
Conclusions: Results indicated that none of the techniques tested could predictably produce a coronal bacteria-tight seal of the root canal after direct saliva challenge.