Influence of Temperature on the Cyclic Fatigue of Nickel–Titanium Instruments with Different Heat Treatments on Severely Curved Canals

AIM: This study aims to investigate the influence of temperatures of 20 °C and 37 °C on the resistance to cyclic fatigue of NiTi instruments with different heat treatments, as tested in severely curved simulated canals. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seventy-two instruments were distributed according to the temperature used (20 °C and 37 °C): XP-endo Shaper (30/0.01), ProDesign Logic (30/0.05), and iRaCe (30/0.04). The instruments were rotated freely until the occurrence of fracture inside an artificial severely curved stainless steel canal, which had a 90° angle of curvature and a curvature radius of 5 mm. Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Wilcoxon, ANOVA, and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed. A p value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: XP-endo Shaper instruments presented higher NCF values and time to failure compared with ProDesign Logic and iRaCe instruments at 20 °C and 37 °C (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Within the limitations of this study, the results show that the body temperature (37 °C) significantly lowers the resistance to cyclic fatigue of all instruments compared with 20 °C. CLINICAL SIGNIFICANCE: Body temperature is an important factor in the results of cyclic fatigue tests.