A comparison of the paralleling and bisectin‐angle radiographic techniques in endodontics

Abstract

Summary. The radiographic reproduction of the apical level of the working length and the root filling during endodontic treatment was examined by paralleling and bisecting‐angle radiographic techniques. The sample consisted of 433 single rooted permanent teeth with complete root formation treated and examined radiographically by a specialist in endodontics. A paralleling technique exposed with a conventional film holder reproduced the distance between the apex and the tip of a root canal instrument or root filling with a very low degree of error. The frequency of deviations was considerably higher when a bisecting‐angle technique was used except at levels flush with the apex, in which case both techniques appeared equal. The deviations most often consisted of the root canal instrument or the root filling being projected shorter, that is, more coronally, on the radiographs exposed with the bisecting‐angle technique than with the paralleling technique.