Comparison of the potential genotoxicities of resin-, silicone-, and bioceramic-based root canal sealers against human lymphocytes

Root canal sealer materials leak through the foramens and remain in close contact with the periradicular tissues for prolonged periods of time. Hence, biocompatibility with periradicular tissues is an important requirement for these materials. Genotoxicity is one of the major factors affecting the biocompatibility of a material. The currently used root canal sealers contain chemicals that can cause DNA damage when exposed for long periods of time. There are a wide range of sealers including resin-based, silicone-based, and bioceramic-based sealers that have potential for genotoxicity. The purpose of this study was to compare the genotoxicity potentials of a resin-based (AH Plus; Dentsply US), silicone-based (GuttaFlow Bioseal; Coltene), and bioceramic-based (iRoot SP; Innovative BioCeramix Inc.) sealers against human lymphocytes. The γ-H2AX assay was used, and the presence of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) was evaluated in the cells after incubation with the sealers for one, three, and seven days. Lymphocytes were examined under a fluorescence microscope (100x magnification). Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U post hoc tests demonstrated significant differences in γ-H2AX foci among all three sealers. The highest value was found in the resin-based sealer, followed by the silicone- and bioceramic-based sealers.