Evaluation of anatomical and morphological characteristics of the nasopalatine canal in a Turkish population by cone beam computed tomography

Background: The aim of this study was to analyse as three dimensions the anatomical and morphometric dimensions of nasopalatine canal (NPC) in the coronal, axial and sagittal directions using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and to evaluate the effect of age, gender and maxillary dental status on NPC andbuccal bone thickness (BBT).Materials and methods: In this study, CBCT data of the 619 individuals aged between 17 and 86 years were examined retrospectively with respect to dimensions and anatomic variations of the NPC and BBTs. The correlation of age, gender, and status of edentulism of anterior maxilla with all the variables were evaluated.Results: The NPC and BBT showed important variability in terms of morphology and dimensions. Morphological assessment of NPC revealed that 26.17% of NPCs were conical shape, 24.71% of canals were hourglass-shaped, 16.80% of canals were cylindrical shaped, 15.83% of canals were funnel-like shaped, 11.14% of canals were banana-like shaped, and 5.33% of canals were tree branch-like shaped. Males and females showed significant differences in the length of the NPC and BBTs in the sagittal sections. There were significant differences betweenage and BBTs. In addition, the length of NPC and BBTs were statistically different according to dental status.Conclusions: These anatomical changes in terms of dimensional and morphological parameters revealed the importance of three-dimensional imaging. Dentists should know and consider the variations in this canal in order to avoid possible complications during anaesthesia and surgical procedures which were applied to the maxillary anterior region. More precautions should be taken during surgical procedures in females, elderly and edentulous patients

Prevalence of second canal in the mesiobuccal root of permanent maxillary molars from a Turkish subpopulation: a cone-beam computed tomography study

Background: Permanent maxillary molar teeth have the most complex root and canal systems. This study aimed to determine the frequency and the localisation of secondary mesiobuccal canal (MB2) in the mesiobuccal roots of permanent maxillary molars in a Turkish subpopulation using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) and compare them by different age groups and gender.  Materials and methods: In this retrospective study, a total of 800 maxillary molar teeth in 200 subjects were investigated. The distances between canals were calculated from the centre point of the MB2 canal (PMB2) to the centre point of the mesiobuccal canal (PMB1) and the centre point of the palatal canal (PP).  Results: The incidence of MB2 canals was found to be 33.5% (23.2% in females, 43.6% in males) in 200 subjects. A significant difference was found between age groups and genders in terms of the frequency of MB2 (p < 0.05). The distances between PMB1- -PMB2 were 2.95 ± 0.58 mm, 3.08 ± 0.67 mm for 1MM and 2MM, respectively. For 1MM and 2MM, the averages of PMB2-PP distances were 5.81 ± 1.09 mm and 5.55 ± 1.09 mm, respectively. The contralateral formation of the MB2 canals was 90.5% (16, 26) in the first molars and 93.9% in the second molars (17, 27). The contingency rate in the first quadrant was 86.0% (16, 17) and 83.5% (26, 27) in the second quadrant.  Conclusions: It is important for the clinician to know the high probability of finding the MB2 canal in the maxillary first and second molars. CBCT imaging can facilitate the clinician to detect complex and variable root canal anatomy.