A recent study conducted by researchers Sirawut Hiran-us and Sarita Morakul has found that temperature significantly impacts the cyclic fatigue resistance of different types of nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) alloy files. The study, published in the
International Dental Journal, investigated conventional (ProTaper Universal ), Gold-Wire (ProTaper Gold ), and Fire-Wire (EdgeTaper Platinum ) Ni-Ti alloy files.
The researchers tested 20 files from each system in an artificial canal model at both room and body temperatures. During the experiments, they recorded magnified videos using a dental operating microscope integrated camera to detect file fracture. The number of cycles to failure (NCF) was calculated and the type of failure was examined both macroscopically and microscopically.
The study found that the NCF at room temperature was significantly higher compared to body temperature across all systems. When compared at the same temperature, the ETP group exhibited the highest NCF, followed by the PTG and PTU groups. All files demonstrated
cyclic fatigue failure macroscopically and microscopically.
The findings suggest that the three types of alloy files are affected by temperature. The
cyclic fatigue resistance decreases at higher temperatures and increases at lower temperatures, implying the need to consider the operating temperature while using these files. Considering cyclic fatigue resistance, if the files are geometrically identical, Fire-Wire files are preferred over Gold-Wire and conventional Ni-Ti alloys.
Sirawut Hiran-us, Sarita Morakul, "Effect of Temperatures on Cyclic Fatigue Resistance of 3 Different Ni-Ti Alloy Files,"
International Dental Journal, 2023, ISSN 0020-6539,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.identj.2023.06.008 ↗.
