The aim of this study was to undertake a literature review on the use of XP-endo Shaper (FKG Dentaire SA, La Chaux-de-Fonds, Switzerland) for root canal preparation evaluated using microcomputed tomography (micro-CT) technology, with emphasis on the analysis of untouched canal walls. We searched the PubMed, Science Direct, SciELO, and MEDLINE databases for articles published from 2017 to 2019 using the following keywords: micro-CT, untouched walls, XP shaper, and XP endo. Articles without an abstract were excluded. Five papers were selected. Few studies on this topic are available. The studies published so far show that the XP-endo® Shaper system performs well in terms of canal preparation but leaves untouched walls.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of different concentrations of essential oils combined with calcium hydroxide against Enterococcus faecalis. Thirteen experimental groups were formed: NC (negative control); PC (positive control); GC (growth control); SC (sterilization control); RO (Rosmarinus officinalis); ROH (calcium hydroxide + RO); ZO (Zingiber officinale); ZOH (calcium hydroxide + ZO); AB (Citrus aurantium bergamia); ABH (calcium hydroxide + AB); CO (Copaifera officinalis); COH (calcium hydroxide + CO); DWH (calcium hydroxide and distilled water). After reconstitution of the E. faecalis strain, microdilution testing was performed to define the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) and minimum bactericidal concentration (MBC). The data were tabulated in an Excel spreadsheet, and the MIC and MBC were calculated in accordance with the Bacteriological Analytical Handbook. MICs in the range of 0 to 100 mg/ml were only observed in the ROH group. The RO, ROH, AB, ZO, and ZOH presented absolute data for MBC. Bacterial growth was detected in the DWH group at all concentrations tested. The combination of the essential oils tested here with calcium hydroxide appears promising as an intracanal medication in endodontic treatment because of its effectiveness against Enterococcus faecalis. Essential oils are important in endodontic therapy since calcium hydroxide, the gold standard intracanal medication, is not effective against E. faecalis.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the root canal morphology of permanent maxillary molars by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) using the classifications of Weine et al. and Vertucci and to correlate the findings with sex, age, position in the dental arch, and prevalence of a second canal in the mesiobuccal root (MB2). A total of 414 scans were evaluated, corresponding to 1,000 teeth. The assessment consisted of coronal, axial, and sagittal reconstructions using i-CAT Workstation®. Type 0 was assigned when neither classification could be applied. The data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using SPSS. The chi-squared test or Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the distribution of root canal morphology classified using the two systems. Analysis of the distribution of Weine types showed a predominance of type III in mesiobuccal roots, while type 0 predominated in distobuccal and palatal roots. Vertucci type IV predominated in mesiobuccal and distobuccal roots and type VII in palatal roots. There was no difference in the distribution of morphological canal types in permanent maxillary molars evaluated by CBCT according to sex, age group, or position in the dental arch of the patients. MB2 canals were identified in 68.4% of the teeth evaluated.