Comparative evaluation of mandibular canal visibility on crosssectional cone-beam CT images: a retrospective study

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to determine the visibility of the mandibular canal (MC) in CBCT images and if the visibility of the MC is affected by gender, location and/or age. METHODS: CBCT images were evaluated for the visibility of the MC by a board-certified oral and maxillofacial radiologist, a board-certified periodontist and a periodontics resident. Representative slices were examined for the first premolar (PM1), second premolar (PM2), first molar (M1) and second molar (M2) sites by all examiners. The visibility of the MC was registered as either present or absent. RESULTS: 360 total CBCT cross-sectional images were examined, with the MC identified in 204 sites (56%). Age had a significant effect on MC visibility, but it differed by location: for PM1, age 47–56 had lower visibility than age 65+ (p = 0.0377). Gender also had a significant effect on canal visibility, where females had lower visibility than males overall (p = 0.0178) and had the most pronounced difference for PM1 (p = 0.0054). Location had a significant effect on visibility, but it differed by age and by gender: for age 65+, M2 had lower visibility than PM1 (p = 0.0411) and PM2 (p = 0.0180), while for females, PM1 had lower visibility than M1 (p = 0.0123) and M2 (p = 0.0419). CONCLUSIONS: The MC was visualized only in just over half of the CBCT images. Age, gender and location had significant effects on the visibility.