Self adjusting file (SAF); A new step forward in endodontic file development Goel Munish1, Professor and Head, Bala Shikha, Associate Professor, Sachdeva Singh Gurmeet, Assistant Professor, Verma Shweta, Senior lecturer 1Address for Correspondence: Dr. Munish Goyal Department of Conservative dentistry and Endodontics, Himachal Dental College, Sundernagar, H.P.
Online published on 7 December, 2011. Abstract The goal of cleaning and shaping may be easily achieved with rotary files in relatively straight and narrow root canals with a round cross-section. In such canals, completion of the file sequence may result in a clean canal with no tissue debris and with removal of most of the inner layer of the heavily contaminated dentin. Nevertheless, in flat, oval-shaped root canals and in curved ones, this goal is cumbersome. Current technology makes the operator believe that the canal has been adequately shaped when, in fact, recesses full of infected tissue and debris might be left. This lead to the development of a new and novel concept of Self Adjusting File (SAF) that adapts itself to the canal's shape, both longitudinally and along the cross-section, be it round, oval or flat, providing a three-dimensional adaptation. The surface of the lattice threads is lightly abrasive, which allows it to remove dentin with a back-and-forth grinding motion, providing continuous instrumentation and irrigation of the root canal system with a single instrument. This article reviews in detail the various aspects of SAF with regard to modem day endodontic practice. Top Keywords Biomechanical preparation, curved root canals, flat root canals, nickel-titanium files, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), self-adjusting file (SAF). Top |