Evaluation of magnification- and fluorescence-guided techniques for composite restoration removal during endodontic retreatment among undergraduate and postgraduate dental students.

Authors

Batuhan Kökci, Sabahat Serenay Satış, Serhan Akman, Ahmet Babalık, Liviu Steier, Sema Belli

Published in

BMC medical education. Jul 18, 2026. Epub Jul 18, 2026.

Abstract

This study was planned to assess the impact of magnification and fluorescence-guidance on the performance of undergraduate and specialist program students during access cavity preparation before retreatment.
The study was conducted with 4th, 5th year undergraduate and specialist program students studying in the Department of Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Selcuk University, Konya, Türkiye. Each participant received three root-filled and composite resin restored extracted human molar teeth, which were standardly prepared by the same clinician. The teeth were scanned with an intraoral scanner (TRIOS 5) before the restoration. The participants were asked to prepare access cavities by using the following: (1) naked eye (control group); (2) operating microscope; (3) fluorescence-guided magnification (Reveal). The time required for composite material removal and reaching canal orifices (procedure period) was recorded, and all specimens were re-scanned. The resulting standard tessellation language (STL) data were superimposed on the initial scan using a software (Geomagic Control X), and three-dimensional (3D) comparisons were made. Root mean square (RMS) values were then calculated and interpreted as an indicator of the amount of tooth tissue removed and the amount of composite resin remaining. Two-way ANOVA was performed to evaluate the main and interaction effects of education level and visual guidance method on procedure period and RMS values. Post hoc pairwise comparisons were conducted using Tukey's test. Statistical significance was set at α = 0.05.
The Reveal device showed the lowest RMS value among all the test groups (p < 0.001) while no difference was observed among the others. Reveal device also recorded as the fastest method for access cavity preparation during endodontic retreatment (p < 0.001). The operating microscope required the longest period regardless of the effect of experience level (p < 0.05).
The Reveal device enabled effective composite material removal by facilitating the identification of previous composite resin, reduced the procedure period, and required no additional training for students with varying experience levels. Despite the advantage of high magnification, the operating microscope was found to be less useful at the beginning of education. While the control group had an advantage over the operating microscope in terms of speed, it was not as effective as the Reveal device for composite material removal.

PMID:
42471632
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 19 Jul 2026.

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