Comparative Evaluation of Solubility and Calcium Ion Release of Bioceramic and Resin-Based Root Canal Sealers

Abstract

This study aimed to evaluate and compare the solubility and calcium ion release of four root canal sealers: Endosequence (bioceramic), BioRoot RCS (bioceramic), MTA Fillapex (tricalcium silicate-based), and AH Plus (resin-based). Polyethylene tubes (10 mm diameter, 3 mm height) were filled with the respective sealers and tested for solubility by measuring weight loss after immersion in distilled water, and for calcium ion release using an atomic absorption spectrophotometer. The sample size was 20 per group (total N = 80). Intergroup comparisons were conducted using one-way ANOVA with post hoc Bonferroni tests, while intragroup comparisons between time periods were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with post hoc Bonferroni tests. The results showed significant differences in solubility and calcium ion release among the tested sealers. MTA Fillapex exhibited the highest solubility, ranging from 12.79 ± 0.17 μm on Day 1 to 19.85 ± 0.14 μm on Day 28, while AH Plus had the lowest, with values from -1.05 ± 0.72 μm to -2.32 ± 0.27 μm (Table 1). In terms of calcium ion release, Endosequence Bioceramic sealer demonstrated the highest release, ranging from 10.01 ± 0.22 mg/L on Day 1 to 10.59 ± 0.51 mg/L on Day 28, whereas AH Plus had the lowest release, from 1.98 ± 0.32 mg/L to 0.54 ± 0.13 mg/L. The bioceramic sealer- Endosequence, demonstrated favorable physicochemical properties in terms of low solubility and sustained calcium ion release compared to the other sealers tested. These findings suggest that the bioceramic sealers may be advantageous for improving the long-term success of endodontic treatment.