Using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography to Determine the Prevalence of the Second Mesiobuccal Canal in Maxillary First Molar Teeth in a Sample of an Iraqi Population

PURPOSE: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of the second mesiobuccal canal in maxillary first molar teeth in a sample of population from Basrah city in the south of Iraq. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) images of 353 Iraqi patients from Basrah city were included in the study. These images revealed 691 maxillary first molars, but only 655 of them were included. The images were obtained using a Gendex (GXDP-7000) CBCT machine (Hatfield, PA, USA) and studied for the prevalence of second mesiobuccal canal in the mesiobuccal root canal configuration, according to Vertucci’s classification, by scrolling through the images. Pearson’s chi-square tests were used to correlate canal type distribution to gender and age. The distributions of canal type on the right and left sides were assessed using the Kendal tau correlation coefficient. A P-value <0.001 was considered highly significant. For intra-examiner reliability analysis, Cohen’s kappa test was used. RESULTS: The second mesiobuccal canal was identified in 81.68% of the Iraqi population sample. The most common type was type II (44.58%), followed by type IV (31.30%). Type I occurred in 18.32% of cases. Other types were less frequent. CONCLUSION: The second mesiobuccal canal occurred in most of the examined samples of the Iraqi population (81.68%), with the most common type being type II, followed by type IV.