title: Efficacy of cone-beam computed tomography as a modality to accurately identify the presence of second mesiobuccal canals in maxillary first and second molars: a pilot study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The achievement of successful nonsurgical endodontic therapy relies on the location, disinfection, and obturation of all canals in the root canal system. This study evaluated the ability of the i-CAT cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) unit (Imaging Sciences International, Hatfield, PA) to accurately identify the presence or absence of the second mesiobuccal canal (MB2) in maxillary first and maxillary second human molars.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty completely intact maxillary first and second molars were used as test subjects. The existence of the MB2 canal was evaluated by the following three methods: (1) periapical radiograph evaluation, (2) CBCT evaluation, and (3) clinical sectioning evaluation. The evaluation methods were used to compare the accuracy of CBCT scanning and clinical sectioning (gold standard) in the identification of the MB2 canal.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The i-CAT CBCT unit accurately identified the presence or absence of the MB2 canal in 78.95% of samples. Statistical analysis showed that there was no significant difference in the ability of CBCT scanning to detect the MB2 canal when compared with the gold standard of clinical sectioning (p > 0.5).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this in vitro investigation may be interpreted to show that CBCT scanning is a reliable method to detect the MB2 canal when compared with the gold standard of physical sectioning of the specimen.
authors.affiliation: UMKC School of Dentistry, Kansas City, MO, USA. trevor.blattner@gmail.com
authors.forename: Trevor C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Blattner
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: Charles C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: Vandana
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kumar
authors.forename: Christopher D J
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Yelton
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D054893:Cone-Beam Computed Tomography / Q000295:instrumentation; D003786:Dental Pulp Cavity / Q000033:anatomy & histology* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D006801:Humans; D008437:Maxilla; D008963:Molar / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D009811:Odontometry / Q000379:methods*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D034421:Sus scrofa; D015898:Tomography Scanners, X-Ray Computed; D014092:Tooth Root / Q000033:anatomy & histology / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*