A Micro-computed Tomographic Evaluation of the Accuracy of 3 Electronic Apex Locators in Curved Canals of Mandibular Molars

Introduction: This study evaluated the accuracy of 3 electronic apex locators (EALs) (CanalPro [ColteneEndo, Cuyahoga Falls, OH], Apex ID [SybronEndo, Glendora, CA], and Root ZX Mini [J Morita, Tokyo, Japan]) in curved mesial canals of extracted mandibular molars using micro-computed tomographic (micro-CT) scanning. Methods: The root canal length and the actual working length of 58 canals were measured using the visual method and 3-dimensional micro-CT reconstructions. The measurements of the EALs at marks "APEX/0.0" and "0.5 mark" were recorded as the electronic root canal length and the electronic working length, respectively. The absolute mean values and the percentages of distribution of the electronic measurements were compared with the actual lengths of the canals. The presence of isthmuses, accessory canals, foramen position, and the distance between the apical constriction and the apical foramen were recorded from the microCT scans, and their correlation to the accuracy of the EALs was determined. Results: All electronic measurements showed high agreement with their respective gold standard, except the electronic root canal length of the Apex ID (P < .05). No difference in the percentage of precise measurements (within the +/- 0.5 mm) was found among the devices (chi(2) and z tests, P > .05). Of the anatomic parameters evaluated, the presence of a lateral foramen negatively affected the 0.0 mark of the Apex ID (Wilcoxon test, P < .05). Conclusions: The Root ZX Mini and CanalPro were precise for both root canal length and working length determination in mesial curved canals of mandibular molars, whereas the Apex ID was accurate for the working length when using the 0.5 mark.