[Diagnostic test study of dental operating microscope used for locating the second mesiobuccal canal orifice in maxillary first molars].
OBJECTIVE
To estimate the diagnostic potential of the dental operating microscope used for locating the second mesiobuccal canal (MB2) orifice in maxillary first molars.


METHODS
120 extracted maxillary first molars were used, all the access cavities were prepared and fixed on the dental study model. MB2 orifices were examined with naked eye and under a dental operating microscope (DOM). The examination was repeated by another dentist with the same methods. Then Indian ink was injected into the pulp chamber and all the teeth were treated to be transparent to determine if it had a real MB2.


RESULTS
The sensitivity and accuracy of the DOM group were 0.78 and 0.76, higher than 0.61 and 0.65 of the naked eye group (P<0.05). The correspondency of Kappa index between observers by naked eye and DOM was 0.701 and 0.819, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The use of DOM can increase the detection rate of MB2.
Research Institute, College of Stomatology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing 210029, China.
Rui-Zhen
RZ
Liang
You-Nong
YN
Wu
Ming
M
Hu
D003786:Dental Pulp Cavity; D003955:Diagnostic Tests, Routine; D006801:Humans; D008437:Maxilla; D008853:Microscopy; D008963:Molar