Evaluation of the correlation between the frequency of middle mesial canal and second distal root or second distal canal in the first molars of the mandible using computed cone beam tomography

Abstract

Introduction: One of the main factors in order to have a successful pulp treatment is the basic and accurate preparation of all dental canals. Knowing the anatomy of the pulp is necessary for this purpose, and on the other hand, one of the main reasons for the failure of endodontic treatments is the inability to find all the dental canals and as a result, the defect in the cleaning process of these canals. The first molar teeth of the lower jaw can be diverse in terms of the number of roots. The Cone Beam Computed Tomography technique provides the ability to produce three-dimensional and cross-sectional images of the jaw and face, and is a useful tool in various dental departments, such as maxillofacial surgery, placing implants, and examining the anatomy of the root canal in the cross-section of the case. It is used. So far, there has been no study on the relationship between the middle mesial canal with the root and the second distal canal in the first molars of the lower jaw. Therefore, we decided to study the frequency and the relationship between the middle mesial canal with the root and the second distal canal in the first molars of Mandible using cone beam computed tomography images in an Iranian community. Materials and methods: In this descriptive-analytical study, 200 CBCT images related to patients referred to the radiology department of Tabriz Dental School during 2019-1400 were evaluated based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria. In the images with the middle canal of the mesial first molar of the mandible, the presence of the second root and the second canal of the distal root were evaluated. The results of the study were reported using descriptive statistics methods. Chi-square test was used to correlate this frequency with the root and the second distal canal in the first molars of the lower jaw. Results: Sixty one point five percent of the images were related to women and 38.5% were related to men's images. Also, the average age of the patients was 27.85±13.96 years. In 13% of the images, the mid-mesial canal and in 32% of the second distal canal were observed, and also in 23.4% of the patients who had the second distal canal, the second distal root was observed. There was no statistically significant relationship between the prevalence of the midmesial canal, the second distal canal and the second distal root with the gender of the patients (P-Value: 0.99, 0.174 and 0.059, respectively). The chance of having a second distal canal in patients with midmesial canal is 2.62 times higher, and on the other hand, the chance of having a second distal root (in patients who had a second distal canal) is 6 times higher in patients with midmesial canal. Conclusion: The results of the present study have emphasized the correlation and significant relationship between the existence of the midmesial canal along with the canal and the distal second root in the lower molar teeth, but due to the lack of other studies, this significant relationship needs further investigation in future studies.