Dynamic navigation: how far it would go in endodontics?

Abstract

No doubt that the great revolution of digital dentistry has opened the door wide for treatment options that would not otherwise exist and the field of endodontics sets no exception for that. The concept of dynamic navigation (DN) has been recently introduced to be applied not only in difficult cases that otherwise lead to catastrophic errors, but would go far till everyday practice. The present study is designed to systematically review the application of DN in endodontics. Furthermore, meta-analysis was conducted to assess the accuracy and feasibility of the use of DN as compared to conventional endodontics. A comprehensive review was performed by two independent reviewers who conducted a literature search using a combination of keywords in four different electronic databases. Fifteen eligible articles were included and reviewed in the systematic review; of which 10 were included in the meta-analysis to assess different aspects such as accuracy, efficiency as reflected by time consumed, dentine loss, and effect of operator experience. DN showed statistically significant lower linear and angular deviation as well as dentine loss. Nevertheless, studies that included more than one operator of different levels of experience showed a statistically non-significant difference. Dynamic navigation is a valuable, accurate, and effective modality in endodontics that would ensure accuracy even for the less experienced operator and allow for a new era of digitalized endodontic practice.