Cytotoxicity of epiphany SE endodontic sealer: a comparative in vitro study

Background: The Epiphany endodontic obturation system, which was developed for use with all current root canal-filling techniques by substituting for gutta-percha and sealer, has been recently modified by eliminating the priming step and introducing a new self-etch, dual-cure, resin-based sealer; Epiphany SE. As with all new endodontic compounds, this novel materials should undergo preliminary testing for biocompatibility. The aim of the present study was to investigate the in vitro cytotoxicity of Epiphany SE and to compare it with the original Epiphany scaler and with a commonly used endontic scaler (Pulp Canal Sealer). Material/Methods: Mouse 3T3 fibroblasts were seeded and cultured, and extracts of each of the cemented scalers were added. After a 24-hour incubation, cell viability was evaluated by neutral red uptake assay, which is an indicator of membrane permeability. The greater the cell mortality (measured as a percent-age), the greater the toxicity of the scaler. Results: Results showed that all 3 of the tested sealers exhibited cytotoxic effects compared to the control group (P<0.05), but no statistically significant differences (P>0.05) were noted among the scalers. Conclusions: Our results showed satisfactory biocompatibility of the new Epiphany SE sealer, which showed similar biocompatibility to the original Epiphamy sealer and to the traditional zinc oxide eugenol-based scaler.