In vitro efficiency evaluation of an electronic apex locator in teeth with simulated root resorption

Emmanuel João Nogueira Leal da Silva, Isabela Reis Portella, Patricia Reis Rezende Brito, Karen Machado Magalhães, Tauby de Souza Coutinho-Filho

Objective: This in vitro study evaluated the efficiency of electronic apex locator Novapex (Forum Technologies, Israel) in determining the working length, when used in different clinical situations, as in teeth with simulated external and internal resorption. Methods: Thirty single-rooted extracted human teeth (mandibular canines), with completely formed apices and with the same pattern of volume in the apical region, were used, using only its root portion. Initially, the length of each tooth was visually determined with a #10 K-file until the appearance of the apical foramen, subtracting 1 mm, setting the real work length measurement. The measure was taken again with the use of electronic apex locator apparatus and considered Novapex initial electronic length. Soon after, the wears were prepared to simulate the external and internal resorption. Measurements were taken again with the apex locator, and these were tabulated and analyzed. Results and Conclusion: The results showed that Novapex was highly accurate when considering 1-mm changes in the pre-determined measure. Through this study, we found that the apical locator Novapex was effective, showing to be a reliable method and no significant interference in his reading was detected when simulated external and internal resorption were present.

Keywords: Odontometry. Tooth resorption. Endodontics

How to cite: Silva EJNL, Portella IR, Brito PRR, Magalhães KM, Coutinho-Filho TS, In vitro eficiency evaluation of an electronic apex locator in teeth with simulated root resorption. Dental Press Endod. 2011 jan-mar;1(1):52-6.

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