Cyclic Fatigue Resistance of XP-Endo Shaper, K3XF, and ProTaper Gold Nickel-titanium Instruments

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to compare the cyclic fatigue resistance of the ProTaper Gold (PTG; Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland), K3XF (SybronEndo, Orange, CA), and XP-endo Shaper (FKG Dentaire, La Chaux-de-Fond, Switzerland) nickel-titanium rotary instruments at intracanal temperatures. Methods: Eighteen XP-endo Shaper (30.01), 18 K3XF (30.04), and 18 PTG F3 (30.09v) instruments were used to test the cyclic fatigue resistance at an intracanal temperature of 35 degrees +/- 2 degrees C. The instruments were tested in a metal block that simulated a canal curvature angle of 60 degrees and a curvature or radius of 5 mm. All instruments were operated until fracture occurred, and then the number of cycles to failure was calculated. The lengths of fractured fragments were measured with a digital caliper. The data were analyzed statistically using 1-way analysis of variance and the Tukey post hoc test with significance set at P < .05. Results: The XP-endo Shaper instruments showed a significantly higher number of cycles to fracture than the K3XF and PTG instruments (P < .05). There was no difference between the PTG and K3XF instruments (P > .05). Conclusions: The XP-endo Shaper instruments exhibited greater cyclic fatigue resistance compared with the other instruments at the intracanal temperature.