Electronic apex locator: A comprehensive literature review - Part I: Different generations, comparison with other techniques and different usages

Abstract

Introduction: To compare electronic apex locators (EAL) with others root canal determination techniques and evaluate other usage of this devices. Materials and Methods: "Tooth apex," "Dental instrument," "Odontometry," "Electronic medical," and "Electronic apex locator" were searched as primary identifiers via Medline/PubMed, Cochrane library, and Scopus data base up to 30 July 2013. Original articles that fulfilled the inclusion criteria were selected and reviewed. Results: Out of 402 relevant studies, 183 were selected based on the inclusion criteria. In this part, 108 studies are presented. Under the same conditions, no significant differences could be seen between different EALs of one generation. The application of EALs can result in lower patient radiation exposure, exact diagnosing of fractures, less perforation, and better retreatment. Conclusions: EALs were more accurate than other techniques in root canal length determination.

Keywords

• Dental instrument
• electronic apex locator
• electronic medical
• odontometry
• tooth apex