MORITA: OTR – A new standard in mechanical root-canal preparation

Modern endodontics: Optimum Torque Reverse (OTR) minimizes risk

of file breakage and is easy on tooth structure.

Teeth are essential for humans. That is why it is very important to preserve them – be it by means of oral hygiene at home or dental therapies. The objective of endodontic treatments also is to preserve healthy tooth structure permanently and to treat it as gently as possible during a treatment. A fundamental step towards ensuring long-term success is that root canals be prepared in an anatomically correct way, including the indispensable chemical and mechanical cleaning of the canal system as well as sealing it adequately afterwards. The three basic elements are measuring, preparation and finishing. Modern combination systems unite these elements in one concept and also feature numerous safety functions that, amongst other things, ensure active protection against file breakage, too. A trendsetter in this field is the innovative OTR (Optimum Torque Reverse) function. It minimizes the risk of file breakage and, at the same time, treats the natural tooth structure with care.

Endodontic treatments challenge not only the endodontist but also the material: the file in particular is exposed to mechanical forces in the root canal, which, under certain conditions, may result in file breakage. During rotary root-canal preparation, mechanical forces counteract the drive torque of the file in the form of torque, and the ensuing torsion could cause the file to break. In order to minimize the risk of file breakage during an endodontic treatment, state-of-the-art combined measurement and preparation systems (e.g. DentaPort ZX Set OTR, Morita) feature intelligent functions. Some of these functions optimize treatment comfort: for example, an automatic Start/Stop function activates file rotation automatically as soon as the file is inserted in the root canal and stops the rotation again when the file is withdrawn.

Intelligent safety functions protect against file breakage

Functions that limit the torque acting on the file during the treatment provide active protection against file breakage and excessive preparation. Naturally, this could also be achieved “by working with feeling” when carrying out the preparation manually; however, when a preparation motor is used, tactile sensation is lost to a significant extent. State-of-the-art methods with automatic control functions measure the (impeding) torque acting on the file and ensure that ....