<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?><article xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance">
<front>
<journal-meta>
<journal-id>1981-8637</journal-id>
<journal-title><![CDATA[RGO.Revista Gaúcha de Odontologia (Online)]]></journal-title>
<abbrev-journal-title><![CDATA[RGO, Rev. gaúch. odontol. (Online)]]></abbrev-journal-title>
<issn>1981-8637</issn>
<publisher>
<publisher-name><![CDATA[Mundi Brasil Gráfica e Editora Ltda.]]></publisher-name>
</publisher>
</journal-meta>
<article-meta>
<article-id>S1981-86372013000200005</article-id>
<title-group>
<article-title xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[Effect of different types of coronal flaring on the circularity and area of mandibular first molar mesial root canals]]></article-title>
<article-title xml:lang="pt"><![CDATA[Efeito de diferentes tipos de preparo cervical na circularidade e na área de canais mesiais dos primeiros molares inferiores]]></article-title>
</title-group>
<contrib-group>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[MAIA FILHO]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[Etevaldo Matos]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A01"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[RIZZI]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[Cláudia de Castro]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A01"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[CARNEIRO NETO]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[José Martins]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A01"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[QUEIROZ]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[Rejane Christine de Sousa]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A01"/>
</contrib>
<contrib contrib-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[SOUZA]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[Erick Miranda]]></given-names>
</name>
<xref ref-type="aff" rid="A02"/>
</contrib>
</contrib-group>
<aff id="A01">
<institution><![CDATA[,Universidade Ceuma Curso de Odontologia ]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[Sao Luis MA]]></addr-line>
<country>Brasil</country>
</aff>
<aff id="A02">
<institution><![CDATA[,Instituto Florence de Ensino Superio Curso de Odontologia ]]></institution>
<addr-line><![CDATA[São Luís MA]]></addr-line>
<country>Brasil.</country>
</aff>
<pub-date pub-type="pub">
<day>00</day>
<month>06</month>
<year>2013</year>
</pub-date>
<pub-date pub-type="epub">
<day>00</day>
<month>06</month>
<year>2013</year>
</pub-date>
<volume>61</volume>
<numero>2</numero>
<fpage>193</fpage>
<lpage>197</lpage>
<copyright-statement/>
<copyright-year/>
<self-uri xlink:href="http://revodonto.bvsalud.org/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&amp;pid=S1981-86372013000200005&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><self-uri xlink:href="http://revodonto.bvsalud.org/scielo.php?script=sci_abstract&amp;pid=S1981-86372013000200005&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><self-uri xlink:href="http://revodonto.bvsalud.org/scielo.php?script=sci_pdf&amp;pid=S1981-86372013000200005&amp;lng=en&amp;nrm=iso"></self-uri><abstract abstract-type="short" xml:lang="en"><p><![CDATA[Objective This study assessed the effect of coronal flaring with the Gates-Glidden (GG) bur, La Axxess (LA) bur, and SX file on the area, circularity, and residual dentin thickness in the furcal direction of mandibular first molar root canals. Methods The mesiolingual and mesiobuccal canals of twenty-one mandibular first molars were instrumented. The teeth were embedded in acrylic resin, and after coronal flaring, the roots were cut perpendicularly to their long axis 2 mm below the cementoenamel junction. The sections were photographed before and after flaring with GG bur no. 3, LA bur no. 1 and SX file. The area, circularity, and residual dentin thickness in the furcal direction were calculated by the software Image J. Results Before instrumentation, the canals had a mean area of 0.56mm2±0.37 and mean circularity of 0.31±0.08. After flaring with the GG, SX and LA instruments, the mean areas were 0.68mm2±0.20, 0.64mm2±0.18, and 0.85 mm2±0.23, respectively; and the mean circularities were 0.39±0.08, 0.35±0.08, and 0.39±0.06, respectively. The areas achieved with the LA bur and SX file were statistically different (p<0.05). The final circularities (p&gt;0.05) and residual dentin thicknesses in the furcal direction (p&gt;0.05) did not differ between the groups. Conclusion Coronal flaring with the study instruments was safe. The SX file achieved the smallest area. Circularity and residual dentin thickness in the furcal direction were not affected by the different instruments. No instrument was capable of achieving a circularity greater than 0.5.]]></p></abstract>
<abstract abstract-type="short" xml:lang="pt"><p><![CDATA[Objetivo Avaliar o efeito no preparo cervical da broca Gates-Glidden (GG), La Axxess (LA) e lima SX na área, circularidade e na espessura residual dentinária voltada para a região de furca de canais radiculares dos primeiros molares inferiores. Métodos Foram utilizados canais mésio-vestibulares e os mésio-linguais de vinte e um primeiros molares inferiores. Os dentes foram incluídos em resina acrílica e após a abertura coronária foram seccionados 2mm abaixo da junção amelo-cementária. As secções foram fotografadas antes e após o preparo cervical usando GG n. 3, LA n. 1 e SX. A área, a circularidade e o remanescente de dentina voltada para a furca foram calculados com auxílio do programa computacional Image J. Resultados Antes do preparo cervical os canais apresentaram 0,56mm2 (±0,37) para área e 0,31 (±0,08) para circularidade. Após o uso da GG, SX e LA os valores médios para área foram 0,68 mm2 (±0,20), 0,64 mm2 (±0,18) e 0,85 mm2 (±0,23) e para circularidade de 0,39 (±0,08), 0,35 (±0,08) e 0,39 (±0,06), respectivamente. Houve diferença estatística significante entre a área para LA e SX (p<0,05). Não houve diferença para à circularidade (p&gt;0,05) e nem para à espessura residual de dentina da furca (p&gt;0,05). Conclusão O preparo cervical realizado com diferentes instrumentos apresentou adequada segurança sendo que a lima SX apresentou os menores valores de área. A circularidade e a quantidade de dentina residual na região de furca não foram influenciadas pelos diferentes instrumentos. Nenhum instrumento resultou em valores de circularidade maior que 0.5.]]></p></abstract>
<kwd-group>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Dental pulp cavity.]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Endodontics.]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Instrumentation.]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="en"><![CDATA[Cavidade pulpar.]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="pt"><![CDATA[Endodontia.]]></kwd>
<kwd lng="pt"><![CDATA[Instrumentação.]]></kwd>
</kwd-group>
</article-meta>
</front><body><![CDATA[ <p align="right"><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b> ORIGINAL / <i>ORIGINAL</i></b></font></p>     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><font size="4" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a name="top"/></a><B>Effect of different types of coronal flaring on the circularity and area of mandibular first molar mesial root canals</B></font></p>     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><B>Efeito de diferentes tipos de preparo cervical na circularidade e na &aacute;rea de canais mesiais dos primeiros molares inferiores</B> </font></p>     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Etevaldo Matos MAIA FILHO<sup>I</sup>; Cl&aacute;udia de Castro RIZZI<sup>I</sup>; Jos&eacute; Martins CARNEIRO NETO<sup>I</sup>; Rejane Christine de Sousa QUEIROZ<sup>I</sup>; Erick Miranda SOUZA<sup>II</sup></b></font></p>     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><sup>I</sup> Universidade Ceuma, Curso de Odontologia. Rua Josu&eacute; Montello, 1, Renascen&ccedil;a II, 65075120, Sao Luis, MA, Brasil    ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<br> <sup>II</sup> Instituto Florence de Ensino Superio, Curso de Odontologia. S&atilde;o Lu&iacute;s, MA, Brasil.</font>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="#back">Endere&ccedil;o para correspond&ecirc;ncia</a></font>     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p>&nbsp;</p> <hr size="1" noshade>     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>ABSTRACT</b> </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Objective</b>     <br> This study assessed the effect of coronal flaring with the Gates-Glidden (GG) bur, La Axxess (LA) bur, and SX file on the area, circularity, and residual dentin thickness in the furcal direction of mandibular first molar root canals.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> <b>Methods</b>     <br> The mesiolingual and mesiobuccal canals of twenty-one mandibular first molars were instrumented. The teeth were embedded in acrylic resin, and after coronal flaring, the roots were cut perpendicularly to their long axis 2 mm below the cementoenamel junction. The sections were photographed before and after flaring with GG bur no. 3, LA bur no. 1 and SX file. The area, circularity, and residual dentin thickness in the furcal direction were calculated by the software Image J.</font></p>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Results</b>    <br> Before instrumentation, the canals had a mean area of 0.56mm2&plusmn;0.37 and mean circularity of 0.31&plusmn;0.08. After flaring with the GG, SX and LA instruments, the mean areas were 0.68mm2&plusmn;0.20, 0.64mm2&plusmn;0.18, and 0.85 mm2&plusmn;0.23, respectively; and the mean circularities were 0.39&plusmn;0.08, 0.35&plusmn;0.08, and 0.39&plusmn;0.06, respectively. The areas achieved with the LA bur and SX file were statistically different (p&lt;0.05). The final circularities (p&gt;0.05) and residual dentin thicknesses in the furcal direction (p&gt;0.05) did not differ between the groups. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Conclusion</b>    <br> Coronal flaring with the study instruments was safe. The SX file achieved the smallest area. Circularity and residual dentin thickness in the furcal direction were not affected by the different instruments. No instrument was capable of achieving a circularity greater than 0.5.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><B>Indexing terms: </B>Dental pulp cavity. Endodontics. Instrumentation.</font></p> <hr size="1" noshade>     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><B>RESUMO</B> </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Objetivo </b>    <br> Avaliar o efeito no preparo cervical da broca Gates-Glidden (GG), La Axxess (LA) e lima SX na &aacute;rea, circularidade e na espessura residual dentin&aacute;ria voltada para a regi&atilde;o de furca de canais radiculares dos primeiros molares inferiores. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>M&eacute;todos</b>    ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<br> Foram utilizados canais m&eacute;sio-vestibulares e os m&eacute;sio-linguais de vinte e um primeiros molares inferiores. Os dentes foram inclu&iacute;dos em resina acr&iacute;lica e ap&oacute;s a abertura coron&aacute;ria foram seccionados 2mm abaixo da jun&ccedil;&atilde;o amelo-cement&aacute;ria. As sec&ccedil;&otilde;es foram fotografadas antes e ap&oacute;s o preparo cervical usando GG n. 3, LA n. 1 e SX. A &aacute;rea, a circularidade e o remanescente de dentina voltada para a furca foram calculados com aux&iacute;lio do programa computacional Image J.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Resultados</b>    <br> Antes do preparo cervical os canais apresentaram 0,56mm2 (&plusmn;0,37) para &aacute;rea e 0,31 (&plusmn;0,08) para circularidade. Ap&oacute;s o uso da GG, SX e LA os valores m&eacute;dios para &aacute;rea foram 0,68 mm2 (&plusmn;0,20), 0,64 mm2 (&plusmn;0,18) e 0,85 mm2 (&plusmn;0,23) e para circularidade de 0,39 (&plusmn;0,08), 0,35 (&plusmn;0,08) e 0,39 (&plusmn;0,06), respectivamente. Houve diferen&ccedil;a estat&iacute;stica significante entre a &aacute;rea para LA e SX (p&lt;0,05). N&atilde;o houve diferen&ccedil;a para &agrave; circularidade (p&gt;0,05) e nem para &agrave; espessura residual de dentina da furca (p&gt;0,05). </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Conclus&atilde;o </b>    <br> O preparo cervical realizado com diferentes instrumentos apresentou adequada seguran&ccedil;a sendo que a lima SX apresentou os menores valores de &aacute;rea. A circularidade e a quantidade de dentina residual na regi&atilde;o de furca n&atilde;o foram influenciadas pelos diferentes instrumentos. Nenhum instrumento resultou em valores de circularidade maior que 0.5.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><B>Termos de indexa&ccedil;&atilde;o: </B>Cavidade pulpar. Endodontia. Instrumenta&ccedil;&atilde;o.</font></p> <hr noshade size="1">     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><B>INTRODUCTION</B></font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Proper cleaning and shaping of the root canal requires free and direct access to the apical region. Coronalapical instrumentation techniques<sup>1</sup> enable early flaring of the coronal third for subsequent access to the apical region. Consequently, inappropriate flaring of the coronal third will compromise access to the apical third, and in curved roots, such as the mesial roots of mandibular molars and buccal roots of maxillary molars, access is harder. </font></p>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Anticurvature filing aims to rectify the curvature of the coronal and middle thirds to facilitate access to the apical third<sup>2</sup>, increasing the efficacy of irrigants and sealing quality<sup>3</sup>, and reducing the incidence of instrument fracture<sup>4</sup>. Additionally, this maneuver must preserve the risk zone and make the canal as circular as possible without perforating the furcation. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Because of their low price and high efficiency, Gates-Glidden (GG) burs have long been the instrument of choice for coronal flaring, and because of their shape, they tend to flare the canal uniformly, instead of conically<sup>5</sup>. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">La Axxess burs, manufactured by Sybron Endo (USA), are made in sizes 20, 35, and 45, with a taper of 0.06. Studies with La Axxess burs have shown that when these burs are used for coronal flaring, they achieve better amplification of the apical third<sup>3</sup>.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> The ProTaper (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) instrumentation system incorporates in its series of nickel-titanium instruments, the file SX, whose objective is to flare the coronal portion of the root canal with subsequent shaping of the apical region. However, the ability of these instruments to preserve furcal integrity is still questioned, and there are no studies in the literature that assess root canal circularity after the use of these instruments for coronal flaring.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> The objective of this study was to assess the effect of coronal flaring with the Gates-Glidden bur number 3, La Axxess bur number 1, and SX file on the area, circularity, and residual dentin thickness in the furcal direction of the mesial roots of mandibular first molars.</font></p>     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><B>METHODS</B></font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The present study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of the University Center of Maranh&atilde;o under protocol number 00781/11. Twenty-one human mandibular first molars were selected for instrumentation of the mesiolingual and mesiobuccal roots. The teeth were cleaned by leaving them in an aqueous solution of 5% NaOCl for 24 hours. The periodontal tissue and calculi were carefully removed, and the teeth were rinsed with tap water, dried, and stored in a 10% formalin solution.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> The mesial roots were explored with K-files 08 and 10 without flaring. Patency was determined by a number 10 file (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland). </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Two preliminary radiographs of each mesial root were taken with a number 10 file inside the root canal, one in the buccolingual sense and the other in the mesiodistal sense. Radiographic exposure time and development technique were standardized. The radiographs were analyzed in a dark room by an x-ray illuminator and a 3.5x hand magnifier. Only teeth with curvatures of 10<sup>&deg;</sup>-35<sup>&deg;</sup> (Schneider6 method) were used. </font></p>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Once the cementoenamel junction was identified, the teeth were embedded in acrylic resin using a stainless steel muffle furnace similar to that described by Kuttler et al.<sup>7</sup>. The long axis of the tooth was positioned perpendicular to the horizontal plane. After the resin cured, the teeth were allowed to rest at room temperature for 48 hours. The tooth was opened with the cylindrical bur 1016 (KG Sorensen&reg;, S&atilde;o Paulo, Brazil) under water irrigation, complemented with the Endo-Z bur (Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland). </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">A low speed diamond saw (Extec&reg; Labcut 1010, EXTEC Corp., Enfield, USA) was used for cutting the blocks perpendicularly to the long axis of the tooth, 2 mm below the cementoenamel junction. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The sections were photographed a digital camera (PowerShot G12, Canon, Japan) with a resolution of seven megapixels coupled with a surgical microscope (Opto, S&atilde;o Carlos, Brazil) with 20x magnification. The captured images, saved in the jpeg format, were digitally processed by the software Adobe Photoshop CS3 (Adobe System Incorporated, USA) to delimit the canal area before the procedures. The software Image J (http://rsbweb.nih. gov/ij/) was then used for calculating the area of the root canals, the circularity, and the smallest distance between each canal and the furcation. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">After each tooth was sectioned and photographed, it was embedded again in the muffle furnace and the patency was tested with a number 10 K-File to probe for obstructions caused by the sectioning.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> An experienced operator and equally experienced with the instruments flared the coronal third of all samples. The techniques were performed in a preestablished sequence, alternating the instruments so that each technique was used on 14 canals, that is, 7 mesiolingual and 7 mesiobuccal canals, totaling 42 canals.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> The instruments were used in a 1:1 handpiece (Kavo, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil) together with an endodontic electric motor (Endo Pro Torque - Driller, USA). The Gates- Glidden and La Axxess burs were used at a speed of 6000rpm, while the SX files were used at 300rpm. When the La Axxess bur was used, pressure was made toward the safety area, as recommended by the manufacturer. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">After flaring, the canals were irrigated with 1% sodium hypochlorite using a syringe with a 31 gauge needle (Ultradent Inc., South Jordan, UT, USA). After flaring, the sections were removed from the muffle furnace and photographed again, with subsequent calculation of the root canal areas, circularities, and residual dentin thicknesses in the furcal direction.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> The increase in area and circularity was calculated by subtracting the area and circularity before flaring from those after flaring. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The data were tabulated and treated by the software SPSS version 17.00 (SPSS Inc. Chicago, IL, USA) with a significance level of 5%. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">To verify whether the areas and circularities of the groups differed, the data were first tested for normality and homogeneity. The hypotheses of normality (Shapiro- Wilk test) and homogeneity (Levene test) were supported (p&gt;0.05). One-way analysis of variance (one-way ANOVA) was then used for determining whether the areas, circularities, and residual dentin thicknesses in the furcal direction differed between the groups.</font></p>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><a name="fig01"></a></p>     <p>&nbsp; </p>     <p align="center"><img src="/img/revistas/rgo/v61n2/a05fig01.jpg">     <p>&nbsp;</p>      <p><font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>RESULTS</b></font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="#tab01">Table 1</a> shows the mean areas and circularities and their standard deviations before and after coronal flaring with the Gates-Glidden, SX, and La Axxess instruments. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">One-way ANOVA was used for determining whether the mean areas and circularities of the groups differed significantly. A significant difference was found between two of the areas (F=4.061; p=0.025), but not between the circularities (F=1.156; p=0.325). The Tukey test confirmed that the areas obtained with the La Axxess and SX instruments differed significantly (p&lt;0.05). </font></p>     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><a name="tab01"></a></p>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp; </p>     <p align="center"><img src="/img/revistas/rgo/v61n2/a05tab01.jpg">     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> The mean residual dentin thicknesses in the furcal direction and the respective standard deviations are shown in <a href="#tab02">Table 2</a>. There was no significant difference between the treatments (p&gt;0.05). <a href="#fig02">Figure 2</a> shows the comparison between the groups.</font></p>      <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><a name="tab02"></a></p>     <p>&nbsp; </p>     <p align="center"><img src="/img/revistas/rgo/v61n2/a05tab02.jpg">     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><a name="fig02"></a></p>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp; </p>     <p align="center"><img src="/img/revistas/rgo/v61n2/a05fig02.jpg">     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>DISCUSSION</b></font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Biomechanical flaring should be able to clean and shape the root canal properly, giving it a conic shape and circularity that facilitate filling. Coronal flaring is essential, since it provides direct access to the apical third, ensures enough room for the instruments, and reduces the risk of fractures<sup>4</sup>. This study is the first to assess the effect of coronal flaring with different instruments not only on canal area and but also on canal circularity. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Many methods have been employed to assess the effect of flaring on the shape of a root canal and residual dentin thickness, such as resin blocks<sup>8</sup>, radiographs<sup>9</sup>, scanning electron microscopy<sup>10</sup>, and computed tomography<sup>11-12</sup>. The methods used in the present study followed those proposed by Bramante et al.<sup>13</sup> and modified by Kuttler et al.<sup>7</sup>, which have been used by many studies and enable the comparison of the thickness before and after coronal flaring<sup>5,14-17</sup>.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> According to Bower<sup>18</sup>, the furcal region in the mandibular molars is two millimeters below the cementoenamel junction. Based on this information, the teeth were sectioned at that height. A similar approach was made by Wu et al.<sup>5</sup>. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The mean baseline area was 0.56mm, with a standard deviation of 0.37mm. This high standard deviation reflects the great anatomical diversity of root canals. Great area variability was also reported by Coutinho-Filho et al.<sup>19</sup>. The standard deviation fell to approximately half of the baseline value after coronal flaring, showing that flaring tends to homogenize the area, regardless of instrument.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> The study results showed that the bur La Axxess 20.06, when used as recommended by the manufacturer, that is, by applying pressure towards the safety zone, resulted in a greater area without reducing the residual dentin thickness in the furcal direction, and resulted in a circularity similar to those of the other groups. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The SX file was used at a speed of 300rpm while the burs GG and La Axxess were used at 6000rpm. This may explain the smaller dentin removal by the SX file. Additionally, the taper of the SX file varies from 0.035 to 0.190mm/mm and it is superelastic<sup>20</sup>, making flaring safe without danger of transportation.</font></p>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> The mean circularity before coronal flaring was 0.31&plusmn;0.08, and after, 0.38&plusmn;0.08. This shows that, although the area of the canals varied greatly, circularity varied little. Given that circularity varies from 0 (straight) to 1 (perfect circle), the numbers show that canal circularity improved moderately after flaring. The burs La Axxess and Gates Glidden achieved greater circularities, but the differences were not significant.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> The Gates-Glidden bur number 3 is cylindrical and has a diameter of 0.90mm. Wu et al.<sup>5</sup> showed that these burs can cause stripping and the use of anti-curvature motion did not reduce their potential for perforation. However, the present study results showed that the areas, circularities, and residual dentin thicknesses in the furcal direction achieved by the Gates Glidden bur did not differ significantly from those achieved by the other instruments. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">The circularities of the groups were similar, but no instrument was capable of achieving a circularity greater than 0.5. In other words, the study instruments were incapable of impressing their shape on the canal.</font></p>     <p>&nbsp;</p> <font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>CONCLUSION</b></font> </p>      <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Coronal flaring with different instruments proved to be safe. The SX file achieved the smallest areas. The circularities and residual dentin thicknesses in the furcal direction achieved by different instruments were not significantly different. None of the study instruments achieved a root canal circularity greater than 0.5.</font></p>     <p>&nbsp;</p> <font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>Collaborators</b></font> </p>      <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">EM MAIA FILHO participated in all the confection stages of the study. CC RIZZI helped with the experimental procedures and manuscript writing. JM CARNEIRO NETO helped to review the references, followed the procedures, and wrote the manuscript. RCS QUEIROZ performed the statistical analyses. EM SOUZA helped to write the manuscript.</font></p>     <p>&nbsp;</p> <font size="3" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><b>REFERENCES</b></font> </p>      <!-- ref --><p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">1. Buchanan LS. The standardized-taper root canal preparation, Part 1: Concepts for variably tapered shaping instruments. Dent Today. 1998;17(5):54-60. doi: 10.1046/j.1365-2591.2000.00384.x.    &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;[&#160;<a href="javascript:void(0);" onclick="javascript: window.open('/scielo.php?script=sci_nlinks&ref=224973&pid=S1981-8637201300020000500001&lng=','','width=640,height=500,resizable=yes,scrollbars=1,menubar=yes,');">Links</a>&#160;]<!-- end-ref --> </font></p>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">2. Abou-Rass M, Frank AL, Glick DH. The anticurvature filing method to prepare the curved root canal. J Am Dent Assoc. 1980;101(5):792-4. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">3. Barroso JM, Guerisoli DM, Capelli A, Saquy PC, Pecora JD. Influence of cervical preflaring on determination of apical file size in maxillary premolars: SEM analysis. Braz Dent J. 2005;16(1):30- 4.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> 4. Ehrhardt IC, Zuolo ML, Cunha RS, De Martin AS, Kherlakian D, de Carvalho MC, et al. Assessment of the separation incidence of Mtwo files used with preflaring: prospective clinical study. J Endod. 2012;38(8):1078-81. doi: doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2012.05.001. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">5. Wu MK, van der Sluis LW, Wesselink PR. The risk of furcal perforation in mandibular molars using Gates-Glidden drills with anticurvature pressure. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 2005;99(3):378-82. doi: 10.1016/j.tripleo.2004.07.008. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">6. Schneider SW. A comparison of canal preparations in straight and curved root canals. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1971;32(2):271-5. doi: 10.1016/0030-4220(71)90230-1.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> 7. Kuttler S, Garala M, Perez R, Dorn SO. The endodontic cube: a system designed for evaluation of root canal anatomy and canal preparation. J Endod. 2001;27(8):533-6. doi: 10.1097/00004770- 200108000-00008. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">8. Weine FS, Kelly RF, Lio PJ. The effect of preparation procedures on original canal shape and on apical foramen shape. J Endod. 1975;1(8):255-62. doi: 10.1016/S0099-2399(75)80037-9.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> 9. Southard DW, Oswald RJ, Natkin E. Instrumentation of curved molar root canals with the Roane technique. J Endod. 1987;13(10):479-89. doi: 10.1016/S0099-2399(87)80015-8.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> 10. Mizrahi SJ, Tucker JW, Seltzer S. A scanning electron microscopic study of the efficacy of various endodontic instruments. J Endod. 1975;1(10):324-33. doi: 10.1016/S0099-2399(75)80012-4. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">11. Sanfelice CM, da Costa FB, Reis So MV, Vier-Pelisser F, Souza Bier CA, Grecca FS. Effects of four instruments on coronal preenlargement by using cone beam computed tomography. J Endod. 2010;36(5):858-61. doi: doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2009.12.003. </font></p>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">12. Elayouti A, Dima E, Judenhofer MS, Lost C, Pichler BJ. Increased apical enlargement contributes to excessive dentin removal in curved root canals: a stepwise microcomputed tomography study. J Endod. 2011;37(11):1580-4. doi: doi: 10.1016/j. joen.2011.08.019.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> 13. Bramante CM, Berbert A, Borges RP. A methodology for evaluation of root canal instrumentation. J Endod. 1987;13(5):243-5. doi: doi:10.1016/S0099-2399(87)80099-7. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">14. Pilo R, Corcino G, Tamse A. Residual dentin thickness in mandibular premolars prepared with hand and rotatory instruments. J Endod. 1998;24(6):401-4. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">15. Pilo R, Shapenco E, Lewinstein I. Residual dentin thickness in bifurcated maxillary first premolars after root canal and post space preparation with parallel-sided drills. J Prosthet Dent. 2008;99(4):267-73. doi: 10.1016/S0022-3913(08)60059-1. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">16. Pilo R, Tamse A. Residual dentin thickness in mandibular premolars prepared with Gates Glidden and ParaPost drills. J Prosthet Dent. 2000; 83(6): 617-23.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> 17. Souza EM, do Nascimento LM, Maia Filho EM, Alves CM. The impact of post preparation on the residual dentin thickness of maxillary molars. J Prosthet Dent. 2011;106(3):184-90. doi: 10.1016/S0022-3913(11)60119-4. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">18. Bower RC. Furcation morphology relative to periodontal treatment. Furcation entrance architecture. J Periodontol. 1979;50(1):23-7. doi: doi:10.1902/jop.1979.50.1.23.</font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> 19. Coutinho-Filho T, De-Deus G, Gurgel-Filho ED, Rocha-Lima AC, Dias KR, Barbosa CA. Evaluation of the risk of a stripping perforation with Gates-Glidden drills: serial versus crown-down sequences. Braz Oral Res. 2008; 22(1): 18-24. </font></p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">20. Walia HM, Brantley WA, Gerstein H. An initial investigation of the bending and torsional properties of Nitinol root canal files. J Endod. 1988; 14(7): 346-51.</font><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> </font></p>     <p>&nbsp;</p>     ]]></body>
<body><![CDATA[<p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a name="back"/></a><a href="#top"><img src="/img/revistas/rgo/v61n2/seta.jpg" border="0" align="absmiddle"/></a><b>Endere&ccedil;o para correspond&ecirc;ncia:</b>    <br>   </font><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"> EM MAIA FILHO    <br>      e-mail: </font><font size="2" face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif"><a href="mailto:rizzimaia@yahoo.com.br" target="_blank">rizzimaia@yahoo.com.br</a></font></p>     <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p><font face="Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" size="2"><b>Recebido: 30/7/2012    <br> Final version resubmitted on: 16/10/2012    <br> Aceito: 30/11/2012</b></font></p>       <p>&nbsp;</p>     <p>&nbsp;</p>     ]]></body>
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<back>
<ref-list>
<ref id="B1">
<label>1</label><nlm-citation citation-type="journal">
<person-group person-group-type="author">
<name>
<surname><![CDATA[Buchanan]]></surname>
<given-names><![CDATA[LS.]]></given-names>
</name>
</person-group>
<article-title xml:lang="en"><![CDATA[The standardized-taper root canal preparation, Part 1: Concepts for variably tapered shaping instruments.]]></article-title>
<source><![CDATA[Dent Today.]]></source>
<year>1998</year>
<volume>17</volume>
<numero>5</numero>
<issue>5</issue>
<page-range>54-60.</page-range></nlm-citation>
</ref>
</ref-list>
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