A retrospective analysis of the detection of the middle mesial canal and middle distal canal and its related influencing factors of the mandibular first permanent molar using Dental operating microscope and ultrasonic equipment
AIM:To study the effectiveness and related influencing factors of using dental operating microscope(DOM)and ultrasonic equipment to explore the extra root canal,namely middle mesial canal(MMC)and middle distal canal(MDC)of the first permanent molar in the mandibular region.METHODS:A retrospective study was conducted on 166 patients with 175 mandibular first molars from June 2021 to June 2024,who were treated by the first author using microscope observation and ultrasonic equipment to clean,probe,and unblock the root canals.The patients'gender,age and tooth position were recorded and analyzed statistically.RESULTS:The total incidence of MMC/MDC was 17.14%.Among them,25 teeth were found to have MMC(14.29%),and 5 teeth were found to have MDC(2.86%).The incidence of MMC was higher than that of MDC(P<0.001).There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of MDC/MMC among different age groups(P>0.05);there was no significant correlation between MDC/MMC and patient gender,and no significant difference between left and right distribution(P>0.05).CONCLUSION:The combined application of DOM and ultrasonic equipment helps dentists to explore the extra root canal(MMC/MDC),which is beneficial for controlling infections within the root canal system,further improving the success rate of treatment..