OPTIMIZATION OF CONE BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY PROTOCOLS TO DETECT THE SECOND MESIOBUCCAL CANAL IN THE PRESENCE OF ARTIFACTS.

Abstract

There is difficulty in identifying the mesiobuccal canal in clinical routine. The use of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) helps overcome this difficulty by providing volumetric details of the teeth and surroundings. Thus, the objective of this study was to determine the effectiveness of different CBCT protocols, with different image resolutions, in visualizing the second mesiobuccal canal in maxxilary molars in the presence of artifacts. To perform the study, the visualization of the second mesiobuccal canal of 28 maxxilary molars with root canal preparation and obturation was used, with the exception of the second mesiobuccal canal. The teeth were placed in a dry maxilla and then scanned with the OP300 MAXIO CBCT unit (4 protocols) and 3D Veraview X800 F150P (3 protocols). Five experienced and blinded evaluators analyzed the images to assess accuracy, sensitivity and specificity. The presence of the second mesiobuccal canal was confirmed by light microscopy (50x magnification) of cross-sections of the roots. Our data showed that the Veraview X800 CT scanner provided better results for accuracy (96%), sensitivity (100%) and specificity (86%). The 50x50/0.085 protocol showed the highest sensitivity (78%), specificity (100%) and accuracy (82%). It was possible to visualize the second mesiovestibular canals in both CT scanners tested; however, the 3D Veraview X800 F150P offered better results for the evaluated patterns. The best protocol in the presence of artifacts was 80x40 FOV and 0.125 voxel size of 3D Veraview X800 F150P.