Influence of heat treatment of nickel–titanium instruments on the accuracy of an electronic apex locator integrated with endodontic motor

CONTEXT: Manufacturers have produced a wide variety of nickel–titanium (NiTi) alloys, but the available literature is limited on the accuracy of some integrated electronic apex locators (EAL) used with different NiTi heat treatments in working length (WL) determination. AIM: This study aims to evaluate ex vivo, the influence of different heat treatments of NiTi instruments, and the diameter of the apical preparation on the accuracy of an EAL used during root canal preparation using an integrated EAL and motor unit. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nineteen extracted human mandibular incisors were included in the study. The WL control was determined by the visual method. Instruments of Mtwo, Reciproc, Reciproc Blue, WaveOne Gold, Twisted File Adaptive, and Hyflex CM systems, with diameters from 0.25 mm to 0.50 mm, were used to measure WL during root canal preparation. The electrical resistivity of instruments with a diameter of 0.25 mm from each system was evaluated using an Inductance, Capacitance, and Resistance (LCR) meter. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Data were statistically analyzed using Fisher's exact test and Kruskal–Wallis test. RESULTS: The different heat treatments and different diameters did not influence the precision of the EAL (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The heat treatment and the diameter of the apical preparation did not influence the accuracy of WL determination by an EAL integrated with the endodontic motor.