A prospective randomized controlled study of mineral trioxide aggregate and super ethoxy-benzoic acid as root-end filling materials in endodontic microsurgery

Introduction: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the clinical outcomes of endodontic microsurgery when super ethoxy-benzoic acid (Super EBA; Harry J. Bosworth, Skokie, IL) and mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) were used as root-end filling materials in a prospective randomized controlled study. Methods: Of the 388 teeth eligible for endodontic microsurgery, 128 teeth were excluded from the study, and 260 teeth were randomly assigned to either the Super EBA group or the MTA group with equal numbers using the "minimization method." Endodontic microsurgical procedures were performed according to the Yonsei protocol reported in a previous study and were carried out by a single operator. The patients were followed up at 3, 6, and 12 months. The primary outcome measure was the change in the apical bone density at 12 months, and the secondary outcome measures were the presence of clinical symptoms or abnormal findings at 12 months. Results: A total of 192 teeth were examined at the 12-month follow-up; 102 teeth were in the Super EBA group, and 90 were in the MTA group. The overall success rate was 94.3%, with a success rate of 95.6% (86/90 teeth) for MTA and 93.1% (95/102 teeth) for Super EBA. The statistical analysis of the success rate results did not show any significant difference between the groups (P =.472). Conclusions: In this prospective randomized controlled study, there was no significant difference in the clinical outcomes of endodontic microsurgery when Super EBA and MTA were used as root-end filling materials.