Unveiling Hidden Canals: Middle Mesial Canal Prevalence in Mandibular First Molars Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Analysis in Central India

Abstract

Background The most frequent reason involving failure of root canal treatment in molar teeth is the inability to locate additional canals. While much research has been conducted on the morphology of mandibular molars, little is known about isthmuses and middle mesial (MM) canals in the Indian population. The primary aim of the present research was to determine the prevalence of MM canals and isthmuses of mandibular first molars in the Central India population using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images. Methodology CBCT of 140 mandibular first molar teeth was analyzed from the institutional database images in the coronal, sagittal, and axial planes. Data concerning the number of root canals, the presence of middle mesial canals, and the presence of isthmus were noted. Information collected was transferred into an Excel sheet and analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results Eight images (5.71%) revealed the presence of middle mesial canals with no statistically significant occurrence. The incidence of isthmi in the mandibular first molar was 84.3%, and the presence of isthmi in the coronal third was about 38.6%. This showed a considerable presence. Conclusion There is incidence of the middle mesial canal, which emphasizes the need to locate extra canals in patients undergoing root canal endodontic treatment. The implementation of CBCT will help identify the extra canal before the treatment. This will help ultimately in providing better patient care.