Muhammed AYHAN, Tuğçenur YILDIZ
Clinical and Experimental Health Sciences - 2025;15(4):858-865
Objective: This study aimed to compare the canal shaping procedures performed by third-year preclinical students on extracted molar teeth using hand instrumentation (HI) and rotary instrumentation (RI), as well as to evaluate the radiographic technical quality of root canal fillings (RCFs). Methods: A total of 267 extracted maxillary and mandibular molar teeth were shaped by third-year students at Burdur Mehmet Akif Ersoy University, Faculty of Dentistry, during the 2024-2025 academic year. The students used either nickel-titanium (NiTi) rotary files or stainless steel (SS) hand instruments and filled with gutta-percha using the cold lateral condensation technique. The RCFs were evaluated based on radiographic parameters including length, density, and taper, as well as procedural errors (ledge formation, apical transportation, perforation, and broken instrument). The data were analyzed using chi-square tests and descriptive statistics, with a significance level set at p < .05. Results: Of the 267 teeth evaluated (132 in the HI group, 135 in the RI group), adequate overall RCF quality was achieved in 42.4% (56) of HI cases and 45.9% (62) of RI cases, with no statistically significant variation between groups (p > .05). The proportions of adequate length, density, and taper were comparable between HI (90.9%, 51.5%, 51.5%) and RI (94.8%, 49.6%, 55.6%) (p > .05). The distribution of HI and RI was statistically similar across jaw locations (maxillary vs. mandibular) and tooth types (first vs. second molar) (p > .05). In terms of length, density, and taper, no significant differences were observed between the HI (Length: 90.9%, Density: 51.5%, Taper: 51.5%) and RI (Length: 94.8%, Density: 49.6%, Taper: 55.6%). Ledge formation was detected in 3 HI and 2 RI cases (p > .05), whereas apical transportation was significantly more frequent in the HI group (7) compared to the RI group (1) (p < .05). Conclusions: Both instrumentation types failed to achieve adequate technical quality in molar RCFs, with manual instrumentation causing more apical transportation. Enhanced training modules focusing on instrumentation and obturation techniques are essential to improve RCF quality in preclinical education.
