Guided endodontics for calcified root canals- a review

Introduction: The ‘guided endodontics’ technique was introduced in 2017 as a substitute for the conventional access cavity preparation for teeth with canal obliteration, apical pathosis or irreversible pulpitis. With the help of cone-beam computed tomography and a digital surface scan, an optimal access to the calcified root canal orifice can be planned virtually with suitable software. AIM: The aim of this review was to provide with an update on the application of guided endodontics for calcified root canals. Materials and Methods: A search of the particular literature was performed on four electronic databases PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, and Web of Science until October 2022. Studies that answered the research question were included (i) application of guided endodontics for calcified canals, (ii) case reports and (iii) in vitro or ex vivo studies assessing types, advantages, disadvantages, and outcomes of its use and the accuracy as well as limitations of guided endodontics for calcified canals. The exclusion criteria were as follows: (i) Articles in any language other than English, (ii) Articles before the year 2017 (iii) experts’ opinion and (iv) guideline reports. The researchers reviewed the complete list of articles and selected the articles that were potentially relevant. Later, full-text screening was performed and articles that did not meet the inclusion criteria were excluded. The articles those dealt with a topic other than that of interest to this literature review were also excluded. Conclusion: GE seems to be extremely promising. Favorable laboratory-based results regarding the accuracy of guided endodontic access cavities for both static and dynamic navigation provided better insight towards it being more accurate and safer.