Clinical reproducibility of Tri Auto ZX2 dedicated motor and electronic foraminal locator in determining root canal working length

Aim: The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical reproducibility in determining the working length of Tri Auto ZX2 electronic foraminal locator (EFL) with instruments activated in OGP function by comparing the results obtained by this new device with those obtained by Root ZX II EFL.

Methodology: One hundred twenty-five teeth (72 vital and 60 non-vital pulps) were measured by Root ZX II EFL and Tri Auto ZX2 with instruments activated in OGP function to determine their respective working length, which was defined as a zero reading on the EFL. The instrument length was fixed with a rubber stop and measured with a caliper to an accuracy of 0.1 mm. The values obtained by Root ZX II and Tri Auto ZX2 were statistically compared by student t test with 5% of significance. The agreement between the different devices were determined in percentage. The statistical correlation was also used to determine the agreement between the two EFLs.

Results: There were no significant differences between tested EFLs measurements at “0.0” in vital, non-vital and in the overall analysis (P>0.05). Considering the agreement between devices, the results revealed 98.66% and 100% of concordant values in vital and non-vital pulps, respectively. The R₂ coefficient obtained was close to 1 in cases of vital pulp, non-vital pulp and in overall analysis, denoting a strong agreement between the EFLs.

Conclusions: The clinical reproducibility of Tri Auto ZX2 was confirmed when compared to Root ZX II, indicating that the new device is effective for clinical use.