Ex vivo evaluation of the accuracy and coefficient of repeatability of three electronic apex locators using a simple mounting model: a preliminary report.

AIM: To compare ex vivo the accuracy and coefficient of repeatability of three electronic apex locators in locating the apical constriction. METHODOLOGY: Thirty-one single-rooted teeth were used. The teeth were sectioned at the cement--enamel junction. A mounting model was used for the measurement of electronic length (EL). The Root ZX-II, the Mini Apex Locator and the Novapex were used for electronic measurements. Each electronic measurement was obtained and repeated. After the last measurement, the file was cemented in place, and the apical 4 mm of each root canal was exposed. The distance from the tip of the file to the apical constriction was determined by three investigators and compared with the corresponding ELs. RESULTS: The coefficient of repeatability of all devices was acceptable: Root ZX-II, 0.04 mm; Mini Apex Locator, 0.10 mm; and Novapex, 0.08 mm. There was little variation in inter-examiner agreement; the rho(C) (Lin) correlation coefficient was 0.83 for examiners 1 and 2, 0.88 for examiners 1 and 3 and 0.99 for examiners 2 and 3. Using the Root ZX-II, 13 of 31 electronic measurements were located at the apical constriction (42%). Otherwise, the tip of the file was not located at the apical constriction in any of the electronic measurements with the other two devices. The Wilcoxon signed rank test did not reveal any statistical difference between the Root ZX-II measurements and the actual length (P = 0.628), but there was a statistical difference between the Mini Apex Locator and Novapex measurements and the actual length position (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The devices tested in this study had a high coefficient of repeatability. The Root ZX-II was accurate, but the Mini Apex Locator and Novapex were not accurate in locating the apical constriction.

Assessment of chemically modified sugarcane bagasse for lead adsorption from aqueous medium.

This study evaluated the adsorption capacity of chemically modified sugarcane bagasse with citric acid (B-CA), sodium hydroxide (B-S) and citric acid and sodium hydroxide (B-CAS) for Pb2+ ion adsorption in aqueous medium. Infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) was used to characterise the materials, where the chemical modification was confirmed by the presence of carboxylate groups created at 1,730 cm(-1) peak. All assays related to Pb2+ ion adsorption onto adsorbent, i.e. equilibrium time between Pb2+ ions and adsorbate (24 h), as well as Pb2+ ion concentration, were performed in batch system. The initial and final Pb2+ ion concentration after shaking time was determined by Flame Atomic Absorption Spectrometry (FAAS). Isotherm adsorptions were applied to Langmuir and Freundlich linear models and maximum adsorption capacity (MAC) of materials towards Pb2+ ions was calculated in function of modifications. A significant improvement regarding Pb2+ ion adsorption after the bagasse treatment with citric acid, in which MAC was 52.63 mg g(-1), was observed. The adsorptions followed the behaviour described by the Langmuir linear model and its kinetics follow the behaviour described by the pseudo-second-order equation.