In vitro radiographic density of dental posts measured by digital radiography

Abstract

Objectives This study evaluated the radiopacity of seven commercial root canal posts. Digital radiographs of the seven commercial posts and of the same commercial posts and four artificial aluminum posts inserted in lower canines were obtained with a CCD-based digital sensor. The radiopacity of the posts was expressed as mm aluminum/mm material (mmAl). Subsequently, the radiographs were presented to five trained evaluators who were asked to rank their acceptability scores as not acceptable, acceptable, or excellent. Analysis of variance revealed significant differences in radiopacity among the posts (P < 0.05). The radiopacities of zirconium and titanium posts were significantly higher than those of fiber posts (P < 0.05). The minimum aluminum thickness for acceptance in the root canals was 1.2 mmAl. All of the examined posts presented satisfactory radiopacity for clinical application.