in-vitro sealing ability of calcium enriched mixture cement versus amalgam as retrograde filling materials

Introduction: sealing ability of a retrograde filling material is an important factor for a successful endodontic apicoectomy. the purpose of this in-vitro study was to compare the sealing ability of calcium enriched mixture (cem) cement versus amalgam as root-end filling materials. methods: a total of 36 canals of extracted maxillary central incisors were instrumented and obturated using lateral compaction technique. the apical 3 mm of each root was resected and root-end prepared to a depth of 3mm.the teeth were randomly divided into two experimental groups of 15 teeth according to tested materials (amalgam, cem cement) and two negative and positive control groups of 3 teeth. root- end cavities were restored with amalgam (group 1) or cem (group 2). sealing ability was evaluated by dye penetration method using pelikan ink, and a stereomicroscope at x10 magnifications and 0.01 mm accuracy. data were analyzed by t-test and p<0.05. results: the mean linear dye microleakage for cem cement and amalgam retrofilled groups were 2.08 and 3.77 mm, respectively. there was a statistically significant difference between the two groups (p<0.0001). conclusion: under the condition of this in vitro study, cem cement provides a better seal than amalgam when used as a retrograde filling material.