Accuracy of electronic apex locators to detect root canal perforations with inserted metallic posts: an ex vivo study

作者：Marroquin Benjamin Briseno^*; Fernandez Claudia Cortazar; Schmidtmann Irene; Willershausen Brita; Goldberg Fernando

来源：HEAD %26 FACE MEDICINE, 2014, 10(1): 57.

DOI：10.1186/s13005-014-0057-2

• Root perforation
• Metal post
• Diagnosis
• Apex locators

Introduction: The detection of possible root canal perforations caused during a metal post placement is frequently difficult to diagnose. The aim of this study was to investigate the accuracy of apex locators to diagnose such perforations. %26lt;br%26gt;Materials and methods: Thirty mesiolingual root canals of extracted mandibular molars were instrumented (30/.04) and a post space was prepared. A root canal perforation was intentionally made at the bi-furcation (n = 15). Metal posts were cemented in 15 perforated and 15 non-perforated root canals. The teeth roots were embedded in an agar-agar solution. The resulting measurements (%26quot;short%26quot; or %26quot;beyond%26quot; the apex) disclosed if a perforation could be identified with five different apex locators (ProPex II, Elements Apex Locator, Apex NRG, Raypex 5 and Raypex 6). The sensitivity and specificity (95% interval confidence) were calculated. %26lt;br%26gt;Results: All devices excluded the absence of perforations (100% with 95% confidence interval [78%; 100%] specificity). The Apex NRG and Raypex 6 detected all perforations (100% with 95% confidence interval [78%; 100%] sensitivity). The ProPex II, Elements Apex Locator, and Raypex 5 detected 14 out of 15 perforations (93% with 95% confidence interval [68%; 100%] sensitivity). %26lt;br%26gt;Conclusions: All devices determined root canal perforations, due to metallic posts, within clinical acceptable ranges.

• 出版日期2014-12-23
• 单位河北医科大学