Objective: Assess the apical dye penetration of System B / Obtura II root canal fillings with either Roth's 801 Elite grade sealer (ZOE sealer based) or with Roeko sealer (silicone based). Methods: The root canals of fifty single-canalled mandibular premolars were randomly placed into one of two experimental groups (n = 20). All canals were prepared 0.5 mm short of the radiographic apex with GT rotary files, 6% NaOCl and RC prep according to current apical gauging and tuning guidelines. Group I teeth were obturated with System B / Obtura II and Roth's 801 elite grade sealer. Group II teeth were obturated with System B / Obtura II and Roeko sealer. An additional ten teeth were equally placed into negative and positive control groups. The external surfaces of all experimental specimens received two coats of red nail polish, leaving the apical foremen patent. All specimens were placed in 2% methylene blue dye for two weeks. Following specimen recovery from the dye, each was individually dissolved in 10 ml aliquots of 50% nitric acid after which a 4 ml sample of each solution was placed into a light spectrophotometer to quantify via light absorption the concentration of dye in each sample (optical density). A student's t-test was used to identify significant differences in mean concentration of dye between the two groups. Result: The mean optical density for the ZOE group was 0.115 and for the Roeko group was 0.108. Under the conditions of this investigation, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups (p > 0.05). Conclusion: Based on this apical dye penetration study the silicon-based Roeko sealer appears to be suitable alternative to Roth's ZOE-based sealer.

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