Tuned-aperture computed tomography versus parallax analog and digital radiographic images in detecting second mesiobuccal canals in maxillary first molars

Objective. We sought to evaluate the delectability of second mesiobuccal (MB2) canals in the MB root of maxillary first molar teeth by comparing (1) parallax with pairs of conventional direct-exposure film intraoral radiographs (both D-speed and F-speed), (2) parallax with pairs of charge-coupled device-based digital images acquired through the use of Trophy RVG-ui, and (3) charge-coupled device-based images acquired through the use of a Trophy RVG-ui sensor and tomosynthetically reconstructed by TACT (tuned-aperture computed tomography) Workbench Software. Study design. Maxillary first molars were mounted in simulated bone. Pairs of images were generated by conventional D-speed and F-speed radiography and digital radiography with a charge-coupled device-based sensor, the RVG-ui. Sequences of images were also acquired for TACT reconstruction by using the digital sensor. Observers viewed sets of images to determine the number of canals present within the MB root of each tooth. Roots were horizontally cross-sectioned and viewed under an operating microscope to determine the actual number of canals present. Results. The frequency of detection of MB2 canals was remarkably similar across techniques: 39.2% to 39.6% with parallax for both types of film and for RVG-ui images, and 37.9% with TACT. No statistically significant difference was found in the detectability of MB2 canals between the modalities tested. TACT had higher correlation coefficients than the other 3 modalities with respect to intrarater and interrater reliabilities. Conclusions. (1) There was a less than 40% chance of locating MB2 canals in the MB root of maxillary first molar teeth by using parallax with pairs of digital or analog radiographs. (2) TACT did not significantly affect the rate of detection of MB2 canals.