Accuracy of electronic apex locators in primary teeth: a meta-analysis
, . Accuracy of electronic apex locators in primary teeth: a meta-analysis. International Endodontic Journal.
Abstract
Aim
To
conduct a meta-analysis on the accuracy of electronic apex locators
(EALs) in determining working length in human primary teeth.
Methodology
An
electronic literature search was conducted using a combination of the
terms ‘primary teeth’, ‘root canal length’ and ‘electronic apex
locators’. Additional eligible articles were identified using a manual
search. The full texts of identified articles were screened according to
inclusion criteria.
Results
Overall,
19 studies met the inclusion criteria and were subjected to further
data extraction. Meta-analysis of studies that reported mean lengths and
difference in mean lengths between EAL and actual root canal length
(ARCL) revealed a significant difference (P = 0.015) between
the two readings whilst those studies that evaluated intraclass
correlation (ICC) suggested a high correlation (P < 0.0001)
between the EAL and ARCL readings. A subgroup analysis revealed that the
presence of root resorption did not affect the accuracy of EALs (P = 0.567).
Conclusion
Electronic apex locators offer an acceptable level of accuracy in the measurement of root canal length in primary teeth.
Comments