Comparison of Digital Radiography, Conventional Film and Self-Developing Film for Working Length Determination

Accurate measurement of working length of the root canal is an important factor in endodontic treatment, because it determines the level of cleaning and shaping of the canal. This can be performed using numerous methods including conventional, digital and self-developing methods, which are studied in this work.

In this study, 50 maxillary molars with appropriate conditions for the analysis were collected and their mesiobuccal canal lengths were estimated by three different types of radiographs with and without file. Next, two endodontists and a radiologist reviewed all the images under the same conditions. The precise lengths of the canals were measured by removing teeth from their casts and direct observation. Finally, data regarding differences in radiographic length and actual length were examined by SPSS 16.0 software and Repeated Measures ANOVA test.

There was no significant difference in any of the radiographic states. The differences of root canal lengths were not significant for the first (endodontist) and third (endodontist) observers; whereas, there were significant differences for the second observer (radiologist). The differences were not significant for samples without files (P=0.89). However, the differences were significant for samples with files (P=0.03).

Since analysis showed that there were no significant differences between the results of digital radiography, conventional film and self-developing film methods in working length determination, the clinician can choose any of these methods according to the working conditions without being concerned about losing the accuracy.