Assessment of morphometric and morphologic properties of anterior maxillary accessory canals and the correlations with the nasopalatine canal

Abstract

Introduction: The anterior region of the upper jaw is an important area for surgical interventions. Knowledge of the anatomy of this area significantly reduces the likelihood of complications and improves the prognosis. In the present study, the morphometric and morphological characteristics of the sub-canals of the front of the maxilla and its relationship with the type of nasopalatine canal were investigated in CBCT images at the Faculty of Dentistry in Tabriz.

Materials and methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 500 CBCT images. CBCT images with high resolution were selected randomly from the oral, maxillofacial, and facial radiology clinic archives of Tabriz Faculty of Dentistry. All CBCT images were evaluated by an experienced and trained maxillofacial radiologist for morphometric and morphological examination of maxillary anterior subcanals and its relationship with nasopalatine canal type. Images were evaluated by NNT Viewer version 2.21 software and in different sagittal, axial, and coronal sections. Assessment of lateral canals (AC) was done using sagittal, coronal and axial slices. The collected information was recorded in the checklist. SPSS version 24 software was used for data analysis and Chi-square, Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney tests were used.

Results: The prevalence of anterior maxillary subcanal was 52.2%. The most common shape of the anterior maxillary subcanal was the vertical shape and the least common was the curved shape. The most common shape of the nasopalatal canal was cylindrical and the least common was the funnel shape. Gender had no effect on the frequency of sub-canal and nasopalatal canal forms. The diameter of the secondary canal was not affected by the shape of the secondary canal and gender, but it was different in different forms of the nasopalatal canal. The distance of the sub-canal to the nasopalatal canal and the distance of the sub-canal to the buccal cortex were not related to the shape of the nasopalatal canal and gender. In the sagittal section, all the morphometric distances of the sub-canal had a significant difference based on the shapes of the sub-canal and the nasopalatal canal.

Conclusion: Considering the relatively significant prevalence of secondary canals in the front of the maxilla, CBCT examination of this area is necessary to determine the morphology and dimensions of the canal before placing the implant.