The The Influence of Various Irrigants on the Accuracy of 2 Electronic Apex Locators in Locating Simulated Root Perforations

Abstract

Introduction: Root perforation is a common procedural error that may lead to the endodontic failure. There are various apex locators available that are commonly used for the endodontic preparations. We aimed to study the efficiency of irrigants on the accuracy of 2 electronic apex locators in locating simulated root perforations.

Method: We piloted an invitro observation study among 40 single rooted extracted human teeth that were perforated intentionally at the apex. The actual length of perforation was calculated, and teeth were mounted in alginate. The electronic length of perforation was calculated by both two different apex locators in different canal settings for three irrigants allowing tolerance of ±0.5mm. The data was noted and various statistical tests were applied while considering p<0.05 as significant.

Result: We observed no statistical variation between the two apex locators difference existed between ROOT ZX AND ELEMENT apex locators with various canal conditions. The dry conditions were suitable the most for the accurate measurement of perforation. Among the various irrigants, the saline performed poor in aiding the apex locator for an accurate measurement of the perforation. 

Conclusion: Within the limitations it can be stated that the contents of the canal will significantly influence the apex locators in the accuracy of the detecting the perforations.

Key words: Root perforations, Irrigants, Accuracy, Apex locators