Effects of a lubricating aqueous gel on the operative life of Ni-Ti endodontic rotary instruments: preliminary investigation.

The use of Ni-Ti alloys in the practice of endodontic comes from their important properties suchas: shape memory and superelasticity phenomena, good corrosion resistance and high compatibility withbiological tissues. In the last twenty years a great variety of nickel-titanium rotary instruments, with varioussections and taper, have been developed and marketed. Although they have many advantages and despite theirincreasing popularity, a major concern with the use of Ni-Ti rotary instruments is the possibility of unexpectedfailure in use due to several reasons: cyclic fatigue, novice operator handling, presence manufacturing defects,etc. Recently the use of an aqueous gel during experimental tests shown a longer duration of the instruments.The aim of the present work is to contribute to the study of the fracture behavior of these endodontic rotaryinstruments particularly assessing whether the use of the aqueous lubricant gel can extend the their operative lifestating its reasons. A finit