Asmaa Ahmed, Dina F. Ahmed And Nashwa Salah,

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Evaluate The Diagnostic Accuracy Of Planmeca ProMax 3D Mid CBCT Unit With Different Voxel Sizes (0.075 Mm, 0.2 Mm, And 0.4 Mm) In Detection Of Second Mesiobuccal Canal In Maxillary Molars As Compared To Clinical Sectioning Of The Tooth (gold Standard).

Materials & Methods: This Study Was Performed On Twenty Four Maxillary Molars Fulfilling The Inclusion Criteria. The Molars Were Inserted In Acrylic Models, With Six Teeth Embedded In Each Model Using Inlay Wax For Support. The Acrylic Cast Was Placed In A Plastic Container Filled With Water To Simulate The Soft Tissues. All Acrylic Casts Were Scanned Using Planmeca ProMax 3D Mid CBCT Machine (Helsinki, Finland). All Molars Were Radiographed Using Three Different Voxel Sizes (0.075 Mm, 0.2mm & 0.4mm). After That, The Scans Were Assessed By Two Radiologists Twice With Two Weeks Interval For Inter And Intra-observer Agreement. The Reference Standard In This Study Was The Clinical Sectioning Of The Second Mesiobuccal Root Using The Bronwill Microtome. The Mesiobuccal Root Was Cut Into Two Sections And Visually Evaluated. All Data Were Collected, Tabulated And Subjected To Statistical Analysis.

Results: From The 24 Maxillary Molars, 13 Had Two Mesiobuccal Canals After The Analysis Of The Transverse Sections (gold Standard). The Results Of This Study Revealed That The Sensitivity, Specificity And Accuracy Of CBCT Images Increase As The Voxel Size Decrease. However, Statistical Analysis Showed That There Was No Statistical Significant Difference Between The Three Voxel Sizes In The Ability To Detect The MB2 Canal (p > 0.05). Inter- And Intra-observer Agreement Showed Very Good Agreement (0.81?1) In The Detection Of MB2 Canal In Maxillary Molars. Conclusion: The Planmeca ProMax 3D Mid CBCT Unit Is Able To Detect The MB2 Canal Of Maxillary Molars Accurately. The Smaller The Voxel Size, The Higher The Image Resolution And Image Quality.