Aim: To determine how instrument design affects the fatigue life of two nickel-titanium (Ni-Ti) rotary systems (Mtwo and ProTaper) under cyclic fatigue stress in simulated root canals.
Methodology: Cyclic fatigue testing of instruments was performed in stainless steel artificial canals with radii of curvature of 2 or 5 mm and an angle of curvature of 60 degrees . A total of 260 instruments were rotated until fracture occurred and the number of cycles to failure were recorded. The morphology of Ni-Ti rotary instruments was investigated by measuring the volume of millimetre slices of each instrument size starting from the tip to the shank by means of microCT analysis. The fracture surface of three representative samples of each size was analysed by scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Data were analysed by one-way anova, Holm t-test, paired t-test and linear regression; the significance was determined at the 95% confidence level.
Results: Cycles to failure significantly decreased as the instrument volume increased for both the radii of curvature tested (P < 0.01). The radius of curvature had a statistically significant influence on the fatigue life of the instruments (P < 0.05). Larger instruments underwent fracture in less time under cyclic stress than smaller ones. SEM evaluation showed typical features of fracture through fatigue failure.
Conclusions: The metal volume in the point of maximum stress during a cyclic fatigue test could affect the fatigue life of Ni-Ti rotary instruments. The larger the metal volume, the lower the fatigue resistance.