Übereinstimmung der Ergebnisse der elektrischen Bestimmung der Wurzelkanallänge bei Verwendung von Endometriegeräten derselben Gerätemarke – eine In-vitro-Studie

Abstract

Aim: To assess the agreement of electrical determination of endodontic working length obtained from four identical apex locators from five manufacturers each under various in-vitro conditions. Methodology: Seven single-rooted teeth and one mandibular molar were accessed. Root length was measured and instruments were inserted and fixed beyond and short of the apex, and in roots with a perforation or an open apex. Each tooth defined one of these settings. The devices tested were: Root ZX (Morita, Kyoto, Japan), Dentaport ZX (Morita), Apex ID (SybronEndo, Glendora, USA), ProPex II (Dentsply Maillefer, Victoria, Australia), Raypex 6 (VDW-Antaeos, Munich, Germany). Teeth were irrigated with different solutions (NaOCl, EDTA, CHX) and all electric root canal length measurement devices (ERCLMDs) were connected to each setting. Measurements were recorded when the apex locator showed a constant measurement for 5 seconds. Results were analyzed using the Kruskal-Wallis-test (α=0.05). Results: Apex locators with the highest agreement among the four devices were Apex ID and Raypex 6. Overinstrumentation showed the highest agreement among the devices from all manufacturers. The highest agreement for measurements in case of a perforation showed Apex ID and Raypex 6. In the tooth with incomplete root development Raypex 6 and Propex II showed the best results with a significant difference to Dentaport ZX. Conclusion: Different devices from one type of apex locator showed a high intra-device agreement. Nevertheless, general statements on the accuracy of one type of apex locator taken from studies investigating only one device per type should be drawn with caution.