Evaluation of foramen locating accuracy of an endodontic motor integrated with electronic foramen employing optimal glide path kinematics

Objective This study aimed to evaluate the accuracy of the auto apical function in the maintenance of the apical limit of instrumentation during glide path procedures when associated to OGP kinematics of Tri Auto ZX2, compared to the continuous rotation of the same motor, as well as Root ZX II and VDW Gold. Materials and methods Forty-eight extracted human mandibular single-rooted premolars were selected. After endodontic access, cervical pre-flaring was performed using size 30, 0.10 taper rotary instruments, and the apical foramen size was standardized to 200 mu m. Teeth were randomly divided into four groups (n = 12) according to the device and kinematics. For all the groups, the Auto Apical Stop function (AAS) was set to the 0.0 mark. Glide path instruments size 25, .01 taper were activated inside the canals until the apical limit was reached. Then, the files were fixed with cyanoacrylate to the teeth and decoupled from the equipment. Data were statistically analyzed in GraphPad Prism 6.0 software with the significance set at 5% (Kruskal-Wallis tests). Results There was no difference in the mean deviation between the groups. No significant difference was found among the groups when the distributions and percentages of differences between the file tip and the apical foramen were compared (P > 0.05). Conclusion The use of auto apical function at the 0.0 mark of all tested devices provided an adequate control of the apical limit during glide path preparation. Foramen locating accuracy of Tri Auto ZX2 in OGP kinematics was similar to those of Tri Auto ZX2, Root ZX II, and VDW Gold in continuous kinematics.

Automated summary

The study showed that the auto apical function at the 0.0 mark of all tested devices provided adequate control of the apical limit during glide path preparation. The foramen locating accuracy of Tri Auto ZX2 in OGP kinematics was similar to that of Tri Auto ZX2, Root ZX II, and VDW Gold in continuous kinematics.