Abstract
The aim of this study was to compare in vivo the accuracy of two electronic foramen locators (EFLs) based on different operation systems - Root ZX and Propex II. Ten healthy adult patients needing premolar extractions due to orthodontic reasons participated in the study, providing a sample of 17 noncarious, non-restored, vital teeth (n= 24 canals). After coronal access preparation and cervical preflaring and prior to tooth extraction, the root canal length was measured alternating the two EFLs. All measurements were performed with K-files well fitted to the canal diameter at the level that each EFL indicated the apical foramen in their display (APEX or 0.0). The last K-file were fixed in place with cyanoacrylate, the tooth was extracted, and the apical 4 mm of each root were resected to measure the distance between the file tip and the apical foramen. The mean errors based on the absolute values of discrepancies were 0.30 ± 0.29 mm (Root ZX) and 0.32 ± 0.27 mm (Propex II). Analysis by the Wilcoxon test for paired samples showed no statistically significant differences between the electronic canal measurements performed with the EFLs (p=0.587). The apical foramen was accurately located in 75% (Root ZX) and 66.7% (Propex II) of the cases, considering a ±0.5 mm error margin, with no statistically significant difference by the chi-square test. Despite having different measurement mechanisms, both EFLs were capable of locating the apical foramen with high accuracy in vivo. Under the tested clinical conditions, Root ZX and Propex II displayed similar results.
Highlights
Success of endodontic treatment may be confirmed clinically, radiographically, or histologically
Electronic foramen locators (EFLs) have evolved and today are regarded as important tools in clinical endodontic practice and currently used in several clinical conditions [5,6,7]
Paired statistical analysis revealed no significant differences between the devices with respect to the accuracy of apical foramen location (p=0.587)
Summary
Success of endodontic treatment may be confirmed clinically, radiographically, or histologically. Electronic foramen locators (EFLs) have evolved and today are regarded as important tools in clinical endodontic practice and currently used in several clinical conditions [5,6,7] Since their introduction, the precision of these devices was the aim of several ex vivo and in vivo investigations, demonstrating accuracy rates between 60% and 100% [3,5,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17]. New mathematical methods for electronic canal length determination have been studied, aiming to further enhance the accuracy of the readings and minimize the potential interference of clinical factors, such as the presence of different fluids within the canal, anatomical variations, absence of foraminal patency, use in immature teeth with open apices, among others [4,6,12]
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