Research Article

Impact of manual and mechanical glide path preparation on surface defects of nickel-titanium rotary instruments

Volume: 60 Number: 1 September 9, 2026

Impact of manual and mechanical glide path preparation on surface defects of nickel-titanium rotary instruments

Abstract

Purpose

Nickel–titanium (NiTi) rotary instruments are widely used for root canal preparation (RCP) but remain prone to fracture partly due to surface defects. Glide path preparation (GPP) may reduce stress and fatigue, improving procedural safety. This study evaluated the effects of manual and mechanical GPP on surface defects compared with no GPP.

Materials and Methods

Endodontic access cavities were prepared in sixty extracted mandibular molars. The teeth were randomly assigned to each of the following groups (n = 20). Group 1: GPP with a #13.02 rotary glide path file (C Path File, Fanta Dental, Guangdong, China), Group 2: GPP manually with a #10.02 stainless steel K-File (EndoArt K Files, İnci Dental, Türkiye), Group 3 (Control): No GPP. Mesibuccal canal of each tooth was shaped with an unused 10.04 NiTi rotary file (Smart Gold, İnci Dental, Türkiye) which was sterilized and imaged with scanning electron microscopy (SEM) before and after RCP. The images were compared in terms of flute disruption, microcracks, tip deformation, blade distortion, surface pitting, as well as fractures by using the Fisher–Freeman–Halton test and Pearson’s Chi-square test, with the level of significance set at 5% (α = 0.05) for all analyses.

Results

Tip deformation was the most frequent baseline defect, with no significant intergroup difference (p>0.05). After RCP, microcracks were more common in the no GPP group (p=0.031). Significant differences were observed in blade distortion (p<0.001), surface pitting (p=0.005), and fracture formation (p=0.002). Both manual and mechanical GPP significantly

Conclusion

Both manual and mechanical GPP significantly reduced surface defects on NiTi rotary instruments compared with no GPP. No significant difference was found between the manual and mechanical techniques.

Keywords

Ethical Statement

The study protocol was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of Non-Interventional Clinical Research, Faculty of Health Sciences, Marmara University (Istanbul, Turkey) with the approval number 62, dated 27.03.2025.

References

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Endodontics

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

September 9, 2026

Submission Date

September 4, 2025

Acceptance Date

January 15, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 60 Number: 1

APA
Gökyar, M., Özden, İ., Azgari, E., & Sazak Öveçoğlu, H. (2026). Impact of manual and mechanical glide path preparation on surface defects of nickel-titanium rotary instruments. European Oral Research, 60(1), 312-319. https://doi.org/10.26650/eor.20261778084
AMA
1.Gökyar M, Özden İ, Azgari E, Sazak Öveçoğlu H. Impact of manual and mechanical glide path preparation on surface defects of nickel-titanium rotary instruments. EOR. 2026;60(1):312-319. doi:10.26650/eor.20261778084
Chicago
Gökyar, Merve, İdil Özden, Ecem Azgari, and Hesna Sazak Öveçoğlu. 2026. “Impact of Manual and Mechanical Glide Path Preparation on Surface Defects of Nickel-Titanium Rotary Instruments”. European Oral Research 60 (1): 312-19. https://doi.org/10.26650/eor.20261778084.
EndNote
Gökyar M, Özden İ, Azgari E, Sazak Öveçoğlu H (September 1, 2026) Impact of manual and mechanical glide path preparation on surface defects of nickel-titanium rotary instruments. European Oral Research 60 1 312–319.
IEEE
[1]M. Gökyar, İ. Özden, E. Azgari, and H. Sazak Öveçoğlu, “Impact of manual and mechanical glide path preparation on surface defects of nickel-titanium rotary instruments”, EOR, vol. 60, no. 1, pp. 312–319, Sept. 2026, doi: 10.26650/eor.20261778084.
ISNAD
Gökyar, Merve - Özden, İdil - Azgari, Ecem - Sazak Öveçoğlu, Hesna. “Impact of Manual and Mechanical Glide Path Preparation on Surface Defects of Nickel-Titanium Rotary Instruments”. European Oral Research 60/1 (September 1, 2026): 312-319. https://doi.org/10.26650/eor.20261778084.
JAMA
1.Gökyar M, Özden İ, Azgari E, Sazak Öveçoğlu H. Impact of manual and mechanical glide path preparation on surface defects of nickel-titanium rotary instruments. EOR. 2026;60:312–319.
MLA
Gökyar, Merve, et al. “Impact of Manual and Mechanical Glide Path Preparation on Surface Defects of Nickel-Titanium Rotary Instruments”. European Oral Research, vol. 60, no. 1, Sept. 2026, pp. 312-9, doi:10.26650/eor.20261778084.
Vancouver
1.Merve Gökyar, İdil Özden, Ecem Azgari, Hesna Sazak Öveçoğlu. Impact of manual and mechanical glide path preparation on surface defects of nickel-titanium rotary instruments. EOR. 2026 Sep. 1;60(1):312-9. doi:10.26650/eor.20261778084