Background: Root canal treatment is a procedure that allows to preserve the dental organs, even when they have presented infectious processes due to the direct or indirect presence of microorganisms in the oral environment. For this reason, multiple technologies have been developed that allow endodontists to establish diagnoses and develop treatments with better results. Foramen locators are equipment that allows the identification of the location of the file introduced to the root canal, in relation to the anatomical structures of the apex such as: the constriction and the apical foramen (the apical constriction corresponds to the place where it must be instrumented for shaping the apical stop). Multiple studies have been carried out to identify the effectiveness of these devices, with a predominance in “ex vivo” studies, which leads to the question: What is the effectiveness of the iPex II NSK® foramen locator in patients who attend the endodontic consultation of the CEMENAV in the period: July - December 2019 with diagnoses of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis and asymptomatic apical periodontitis in the distal root of the lower first molar? Objective: To determine the effectiveness of the iPex II NSK® foramen locator in patients with diagnoses of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis and asymptomatic apical periodontitis in the distal root of the lower first molar. Material and methods: Measurements of the distal root of the first lower molars of patients who came with a diagnosis of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis and acute apical periodontitis were performed. Subsequently, radiographic taking was carried out with the Morita® Root ZX II foramen locator (gold standard) and subsequently the measurement with the iPex II NSK® foramen locator. Results: After six months of measurements (68 cases), it was possible to identify an effectiveness of 85.29% in the measurements, due to obtaining 58 coincidences and 10 discrepancies that correspond to: 34 measurements with 100% effectiveness in the cases with a diagnosis of Symptomatic irreversible pulpitis and 34 measurements with 70.58% effectiveness (only 24 coincidences), in cases with asymptomatic apical periodontitis. Conclusions: Due to the results obtained and the methodological sequencing used, it is possible to identify the effectiveness of the iPex II NSK® foramen locator in patients with diagnoses of symptomatic irreversible pulpitis and not in patients with asymptomatic apical periodontitis in the measurements made in the distal root of the former. lower molars that were part of the study.
