Comparative Evaluation of Working Length Using

Aim of the study: To determine the efficacy of Radiovisiography in estimating working length and to compare the accuracy of working length determination between radiovisiography and conventional radiographic methods. Materials and method: A total of 100 samples from 20 single rooted and 30 multirooted teeth were taken. Working length was estimated by both conventional radiographic method (CLrad) and RVG (CLrvg). True canal length (CLt) was previously determined by direct vision of the file at the apex of teeth using X2 magnification and all were compared using Student's t-test and SPSS software. Results: The standard deviation and standard error of the canal length measurements of the radiovisiographs were less than those of the conventional radiographs. The measurements were in the range of 0.5-1mm short of the true canal length which is statistically not significant Conclusion: Though radiovisiography has many advantages, inferior resolution and its limitation in error less imaging of finer endodontic instruments are factors which limit replacing conventional radiographs 1 2 3 4 5 6 Anshu Minocha, Vishal Sharma, Abhinav Misra, Anshu Minocha, Vishal Sharma, Abhinav Misra, Asstt. Professor,Deptt of Conservative Dentistry, HP Govt Dental College Shimla 5Deptt of Conservative Dentistry, HP Govt Dental College Shimla Asstt. Professor, Deptt of Conservative Dentistry, Rama Dental College, Kanpur. Introduction: Determination of the working length helps in establishing apical limit up to which the instrumentation and ultimately obturation has to be done. Failure to accurately determine the length of tooth may lead to apical perforation and overfilling resulting in post operative complications. With the advent of radiology and application of X-rays to dentistry by Kells in 1899, teeth were evaluated by dental radiographs and since then radiographs have become an integral part of dental practice. Xeroradiography though have better resolution than conventional radiography but the amount of radiation reduction by this method was not found to be significant. Then radiovisiography was introduced as an alternative by Mouyen etal1 in 1969. RVG therefore provides many advantages compared to conventional radiographs. The most important being reduction of radiation. Other advantages are its ease and speed, elimination of chemical waste hazard and its ability to enhance resultant images. Materials and Method: For this study 100 samples (root canals) were obtained from 20 extracted single rooted and 30 multirooted teeth. The teeth were stored in 10% formalin and thereafter placed in 3% Sodium-hypochlorite solution for 48 hours to remove surface soft tissue and concretion. They were then stored in sterile saline solution for 72 hours. The roots of the selected teeth were straight with minimum degree of curvature in the apical third. Standard endodontic access cavity was prepared on each tooth and the canals were then negotiated using a number #08 file and their patency verified. Calculation of Actual true Working Length (CLt) A # 15 file with rubber stopper was inserted in the canal and advanced until the file tip was visualized at the foramen with X2 magnification. The file was then removed and the true canal length (CLt) was determined for each canal for all the teeth using a millimeter rule (mini endo block). The file was then returned to the canal and fixed in place with light cure composite resin. The teeth were then mounted in opaque COMPARATIVE EVALUATION OF WORKING LENGTH USING RADIOVISIOGRAPHY AND CONVENTIONAL RADIOGRAPHY Journal of Dental Sciences University