Abstract
Introduction
A measuring instrument must be both accurate and reliable. This study compared the
reliability of the “0.5” and “APEX” mark measurements by using 2 impedance quotient-based
electronic apex locators (EALs).
Methods
One hundred four extracted human premolars were used in this study. After access preparation,
the teeth were embedded in an alginate model. By using 2 EALs (Root ZX and i-Root),
the tooth length was measured at the “0.5” and “APEX” marks with K-files. The file
was then cemented, and the apical 3–4 mm was trimmed for the photograph under an operating
microscope. The distance between the tip of the file and major foramen (MF) was measured.
The intraclass correlation coefficient, the Bland-Altman plot, and box plot were used
to compare the reliability.
Results
The intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from 0.976–0.994, indicating excellent
agreement in both “0.5” and “APEX” marks. The Bland-Altman plots showed that the limits
of agreement (mean ± 2 standard deviations) were small enough to confirm that both
marks of the 2 EALs can be used for clinical purposes. The distribution of the measurements
and outliers was analyzed by using box plots, and it was found that there was no significant
difference between the 2 marks.
Conclusions
There was no significant difference in the reliability of the “0.5” and “APEX” marks
for locating the MF in both devices. Accordingly, knowing where each mark indicates
is more important for determining the working length than which mark to choose.
Key Words
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: October 04, 2010
Identification
Copyright
© 2011 American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
