Avaliação da precisão do localizador apical eletrônico endus : estudo ex vivo.

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the accuracy of the Electronic Apex Locator (EAL) Endus (Gnatus, Brazil) using endodontic files with different calibers on the location of the real length of the tooth (RLT). Methods: It has used 40 extracted human mandibular incisors, which has sectioned into the vestibular-lingual direction and prepared in the cervical third. Each tooth has received a number 1 to 40 and has filled into a container full of 1% sodium hypochlorite. It has performed two measurements with different file calibers on each tooth using the LAE Endus®. A third measurement has performed to establish the RLT. All measurements has recorded in a chart that contains the present tooth number, the size of the file used and the RLT. The measurements obtained with the file 10 and the anatomic file has been compared with the RLT. Results: The mean percentage difference between the measurements with the anatomic file related to the RLT (-3,12%) is lower than the mean percentage of the measurements with the file 10 related to RLT (-5,37%). Thus, having a difference statistically significant between the percentages evaluated (p<0.001). Conclusion: The measurements performed with the anatomical files are more accurate when compared to lesser caliber files, by presenting and intimate contact with the root canal walls.