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

Abstract

Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the accuracy of the Dentaport ZX (Morita Co, Kyoto, Japan) and the Rootor (Meta Biomed, Cheongwon-gun, Korea) electronic apex locators (EALs) in detecting root perforations in dry conditions and in the presence of the following irrigation solutions: 2.5% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), 0.9% saline solution (NaCl), and 17% EDTA.

Methods: Twenty extracted, single-rooted human teeth were perforated artificially in the middle section. The actual canal lengths (ALs) up to the perforation site were determined, and then the teeth were embedded in an alginate mold. The electronic measurements of the perforations were obtained using a size 20 K-file by each EAL in various conditions. For each tooth, the AL was subtracted from the electronic length of the perforation. Statistical analyses were performed using the Friedman and Wilcoxon signed rank tests at a significance level of P < .05.

Results: The most accurate measurements for both EALs were obtained in dry conditions. Among the irrigation solutions in the Dentaport ZX group, EDTA gave the most accurate results, and NaOCl gave the least accurate ones. However, measurements with NaCl were closer to the AL than those obtained with EDTA for the Rootor group. Significant differences were noted among the EALs when the measurements were taken with NaOCl, NaCl, and EDTA (P < .05).

Conclusions: The Dentaport ZX was more accurate compared with the Rootor in the presence of different irrigants. The content of the root canal affected the accuracy of both EALs. The most accurate measurements were obtained in dry canals.

Keywords: Apex locator; Dentaport ZX; Rootor; irrigant; root perforation.