An in vivo evaluation of an electronic apex locator that uses the ratio method in vital and necrotic canals.

The purpose of this study was to compare the canal length determined by an apex locator to the apical constriction in both vital and necrotic canals. Informed consent was obtained from patients waiting to have teeth extracted. The teeth were anesthetized, isolated, and accessed. The pulp was considered vital if bleeding was present in the pulp chamber. The Root ZX was used to measure the root canal length. The file was cemented into place, and the tooth was extracted. Twenty-nine teeth containing 34 cemented files were studied, and the distance from the apical constriction was measured. The Root ZX was 82.3% accurate to within 0.5 mm of the apical constriction. The mean distance from the apical constriction was 0.21 mm in vital cases versus 0.49 mm for necrotic cases. There was no statistical difference between the ability of the Root ZX to determine the apical constriction in vital canals versus necrotic canals.