IN VIVO EVALUATION OF ACCURACY OF TWO ELECTRONIC APEX LOCATORS

It is necessary to measure the length of a root canal in order to attain a satisfactory prognosis after root canal therapy. There are several methods for determining root canal length, such as tactile sensation by the dental practitioner, the utilization of x-ray film, and electronic root canal measurement. Among these, the electrical measurement methods, in which the impedence between the oral mucous membrane and periodontal membrane is determined, have advantages of simplicity and accuracy. During root canal treatment, the root canal contains a solution of high electrical conductivity such as pus, blood, sodium hypochlorite and so on. Recently a new electronic root canal measurement device of frequency-dependent type has been developed, which is capable of measuring the length of root canal under moist conditions. Endex and Root ZX, which are frequency-dependent type, were evaluated for accuracy of measuring root canal length in vivo by stereomicroscope. The result were as follows ; 1. 82.5% of Endex and 87.5% of Root ZX measured in the range of mm from the apical foramen and both showed 57.5 % in the range of 0.1 mm to 0.5 mm. 2. Endex showed significantly higher accuracy in vital teeth than nonvital teeth(p