THE INFLUENCE OF DIFFERENT TORQUE SETTINGS ON THE AMOUNT OF APICALLY EXTRUDED DEBRIS DURING ROTARY INSTRUMENTATION

Objectives: This in vitro study was designed to evaluate the effect of low- and high-torque settings on the amount of apically extruded debris during canal preparation with the ProTaper Universal (PTU) system. Materials and Methods: Forty extracted mandibular premolars were selected and randomly divided into two groups (n = 20). Each root canal was prepared according to the manufacturer’s instructions, using SX, S1, S2, F1, F2, and F3 at low-torque settings and high-torque settings. The apically extruded debris was collected into preweighed Eppendorf tubes. The weight of extruded debris was determined, and data were analyzed using the Mann-Whitney U test at a significance level of p 0.05). The PTU system produced the higher mean extrusion value at high-torque settings. Conclusions: Under the conditions of this study, as no difference among the different torque settings in terms of the amount of extruded debris were noted, it is possible to suggest that clinicians should choose the most appropriate settings for each case in clinical practice.