Evaluation of working length determination methods: An <i>in vivo / ex vivo</i> study

ABSTRACT Objective The purpose of this in vivo study was to compare the ability of digital tactile, digital radiographic and electronic methods to determine reliability in locating the apical constriction. Materials and methods Informed consent was obtained from patients scheduled for orthodontic extraction. The teeth were anesthetized, isolated and accessed. The canals were negotiated, pulp chamber and canals were irrigated and pulp was extirpated. The working length was then evaluated for each canal by digital tactile sensation, an electronic apex locator (The Root ZX) and digital radiography. The readings were then compared with post-extraction working length measurements. Results The percentage accuracy indicated that EAL method (Root ZX) shows maximum accuracy, i.e. 99.85% and digital tactile and digital radiographic method (DDR) showed 98.20 and 97.90% accuracy respectively. Clinical significance Hence, it can be concluded that the EAL method (Root ZX) produced most reliable results for determining the accurate working length. How to cite this article Mandlik J, Shah N, Pawar K, Gupta P, Singh S, Shaik SA. An in vivo Evaluation of Different Methods of Working Length Determination. J Contemp Dent Pract 2013;14(4):644-648.

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Electronic determination of root canal working length in primary molar teeth: an in vivo and ex vivo study

International Endodontic Journal ◽

10.1111/j.1365-2591.2010.01839.x ◽

2011 ◽

Vol 44 (5) ◽

pp. 402-406 ◽

Cited By ~ 17

Author(s):

A. P. C. A. Beltrame ◽

T. C. Triches ◽

N. Sartori ◽

M. Bolan

Keyword(s):

Root Canal ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Primary Molar ◽

Working Length ◽

Molar Teeth ◽

Ex Vivo Study

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An in vivo comparison of working length determination by only root-ZX apex locator versus combining root-ZX apex locator with radiographs using a new impression technique

Oral Surgery Oral Medicine Oral Pathology Oral Radiology and Endodontology ◽

10.1016/j.tripleo.2007.12.009 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 105 (4) ◽

pp. e79-e83 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Euiseong Kim ◽

Michael Marmo ◽

Chan-Young Lee ◽

Nam-Sik Oh ◽

Il-Kyu Kim

Keyword(s):

Impression Technique ◽

Working Length ◽

Length Determination

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Correlation of objective image quality and working length measurements in different CBCT machines: An ex vivo study

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-020-76424-4 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 10 (1) ◽

Author(s):

T. G. Wolf ◽

F. Fischer ◽

R. K. W. Schulze

Keyword(s):

Image Quality ◽

Ex Vivo ◽

Quality Factors ◽

Study Objective ◽

Intra Class Correlation ◽

Working Length ◽

Length Determination ◽

Image Quality Measures ◽

Operator Reproducibility ◽

Ex Vivo Study

Abstract To investigate potential correlations between objective CBCT image parameters and accuracy in endodontic working length determination ex vivo. Contrast-to-noise ratio (CNR) and spatial resolution (SR) as fundamental objective image parameters were examined using specific phantoms in seven different CBCT machines. Seven experienced observers were instructed and calibrated. The order of the CBCTs was randomized for each observer and observation. To assess intra-operator reproducibility, the procedure was repeated within six weeks with a randomized order of CBCT images. Multivariate analysis (MANOVA) did not reveal any influence of the combined image quality factors CNR and SR on measurement accuracy. Inter-operator reproducibility as assessed between the two observations was poor, with a mean intra-class correlation (ICC) of 0.48 (95%-CI 0.38, 0.59) for observation No. 1. and 0.40 (95%-CI 0.30, 0.51) for observation No. 2. Intra-operator reproducibility pooled over all observers between both observations was only moderate, with a mean ICC of 0.58 (95%-CI 0.52 to 0.64). Within the limitations of the study, objective image quality measures and exposure parameters seem not to have a significant influence on accuracy in determining endodontic root canal lengths in CBCT scans. The main factor of variance is the observer.

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