AbstractudIntroduction: The aim of this study was to determine inudanterior teeth, bicuspids, and molars (1) the accuracy ofud3 different electronic apex locators (EALs) in detectingudthe apical foramen and (2) the accuracy of digital radiographyudin determining the working length (WL),udcompared with visible control under a microscope.udMethods: By using radiovideography (RVG), weudmeasured the lengths of 120 root canals with 3 differentudEALs (Endex, ProPex II, and Root ZX) and comparedudthem with the actual lengths. The accuracy of EALsudand RVG was related to each dental category. Anudendodontic training kit (Pro-Train) was used duringudexperimental procedures. Results: Statistical analysisudshowed that the 3 EALs and RVG were less accurateudin anterior teeth and molars than in bicuspids. Theudpaired-sample t test showed no statistically significantuddifference between mesiodistal plane and buccolingualudplane digital radiography in all groups. Conclusions:udThe 3 EALs tested were more accurate in detecting theudapical foramen in bicuspids than in both molars andudanterior teeth. Radiographic measurements were notudreliable for determining WL in all dental groups inudboth radiographic planes. (J Endod 2011;37:684–687)
展开▼
