In Vivo Evaluation of 3 Electronic Apex Locators: Root ZX Mini, Apex ID, and Propex Pixi

Introduction: The aim of this in vivo study was to compare the accuracy of 3 electronic apex locators (EALs) (Root ZX mini [J Morita Corp, Tokyo, Japan], Apex ID [SybronEndo, Glendora, CA], and Propex Pixi [Dentsply Maillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland)) to determine the working length. Methods: Thirty single-rooted human teeth that were scheduled for extraction were selected for the study. Electronic measurements were performed with the 3 EALs. After the teeth had been extracted, a #10 K-file was used to determine the actual working length, which was established at 0.5 mm short of the major foramen. The data were statistically analyzed with analysis of variance (alpha = 0.05). Results: No significant differences were found among the experimental groups (P > .05). The mean distance from the actual working length to the file tip was 0.163 +/- 0.032 mm when Root ZX mini was used, 0.343 +/- 0.032 mm for Propex Pixi , and 0.012 +/- 0.008 mm for Apex ID. Conclusions: Under the in vivo conditions of this study, no statistically significant differences were observed among the 3 EALs.