Comparative study of manual and reciprocanting files on the capacity of obtaining apical patency in teeth with enlargement of the apical foramen

The aim of this study was to evaluate the ability to obtain patency in enlarged foramina using manual files and Reciproc. For this, forty-five mesial and palatal roots of lower and upper molars, respectively, were sectioned, instrumented and filled with gutta percha and AH Plus cement. They were then divided into 3 groups: G1 - foraminal enlargement, obturation at 3 mm from the apex and desobturation with Reciproc R25; G2 - foraminal enlargement, obturation at 3 mm from the apex and unblocking with a K # 10 hand file; G3 - patency, obturation at 1mm from the apex and release with Reciproc R25. The time required to reach foraminal patency was set, and after 5 minutes without reaching it, eucalyptol was used. The results showed that groups 1 and 3 had very similar times (p> 0.05) and patency was achieved in all samples. In group 3, the time required was much longer, and in one of the specimens it did not complete its objective. It was concluded that foraminal enlargement did not significantly influence patency. With regard to manual instrumentation, it was significantly slower to provide foraminal patency when compared to the Reciproc system.