An in vitro evaluation of the accuracy of two electronic apex locators Foramatron V and Ipex in determining working length

Accurate determination of working length in root canal therapy is very important for success of the process. Different methods such as electronic apex locators have been introduced for determination of working length. The aim of this in vitro study was comparison of the accuracy of two electronic apex locators, Foramatron V and Ipex, in determination of working length in human single root teeth. In this in vitro study, 100 human single root, single canal maxillary incisors with developed apex without curve were used. The teeth were cleaned after extraction and stored in normal salin. After preparing access cavity, the actual length of each canal was determined by an anatomic method placing a k-file into the canal so that the file tip touched the apical foramen. After preparing the experimental environment, the teeth were placed in the model at the level of CEJ and the length of the teeth were determind with Ipex and Formatron V according to their code. The acceptable limitation was ±0.5 millimeter to the actual working length. After collection of data, Mac Nemar and Paired t-test were used for statistical analysis. According to the results of this study, the accuracy of length determination was 64% and 63% for Foramatron V and ipex, respectively in the range of canal length±0.5 mm. There was no significant statistical difference between these two devices. There was no significant difference between Ipex and Foramatron V. Therefore, Foramatron V may be used for working length determination.