comparison of apical sealing between the tagger hybrid technique and lateral condensation technique with different sealers

Objective: this study aimed to compare the effectiveness of the tagger technique and the lateral condensation technique with different obturation cements in achieving optimal apical sealing in endodontic treatments.methods: an in vitro study was conducted on 68 extracted human upper or lower first premolars. teeth were randomly divided into four experimental groups (n=17) based on two obturation techniques and endodontic sealers employed, as follows: group 1, tagger technique with the zinc oxide-eugenol sealer; group 2, tagger technique with the resin-based sealer; group 3, lateral condensation technique with zinc oxide-eugenol sealer, and group 4, lateral condensation technique with resin-based sealer. homogeneity of the gutta-percha mass and apical obliteration were evaluated under a digital stereomicroscope. data were analyzed using the chi-square test, and a p-value<0.05 was considered statistically significant.results: most group specimens exhibited non-homogeneous gutta-percha, whereas apical obliteration was achieved in a significant proportion of samples across all groups. no significant difference was found between the study groups either in the homogeneity of the gutta-percha mass (p=0.978) or in the optimal apical obliteration (p=0.782).conclusions: the study found no significant difference in the effectiveness of the tagger hybrid and lateral condensation techniques using different sealers in achieving optimal apical sealing and gutta-percha homogeneity. this highlights the critical role of the clinician’s expertise in ensuring successful endodontic outcomes.