Influence of preflaring in the choice of patency and initial apical files

Abstract

The present study evaluated the influence of cervical preflaring in the choice of patency and initial apical files. Forty mesial canals of mandibular molars were divided into two groups. In the first, no cervical preflaring was performed while in the second it was performed with Gates Glidden drills. The measurement of the anatomic diameter of the apical foramen and of the working length was performed by the retrograde method with the aid of a microscope. The choice of patency and initial apical files was determined in the root canal. When the preflaring was not performed, the difference between the diameters of the files and the anatomic diameters was greater. Preflaring was shown to be essential for the determination of patency and initial apical files.