ASSESSMENT OF THE OCCURRENCE OF MIDDLE MESIAL CANAL IN MANDIBULAR MOLARS USING CONE-BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY AND DENTAL OPERATING MICROSCOPE: AN IN VITRO STUDY

Abstract

Introduction: Failures of root canal treatments may be resulted due to missed canals and ignorance of the clinician about the complex anatomy of the root canal system. One such example of anatomic variation is the middle mesial (MM) canal in mandibular molars. Literature on methods for identifying them is limited. Aim: This in vitro study aimed to assess the occurrence of MM canal with cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and then under dental operating microscope (DOM) in the mandibular rst and second molars. A total of 40 extract Materials and Method: ed intact human permanent mandibular rst and second molars were selected. These were subjected to CBCT imaging and magnication under DOM for the detection of MM canals. The percentage of incidence in the detection of MMC was compared between these two methods. The incidence of MM canals detected in mandibular molars using CBCT and Results: DOM was 7.50 and 10 % respectively and the comparison between the two methods was statistically not signicant. Since Conclusions: the incidence of MM canals was higher with the use of DOM, it is preferred to use simpler, chairside aids like magnication and ultrasonic troughing. On the other hand, one should be judicious in preoperative CBCT evaluation in nding accessory canals like MM.