Analysis of mandibular molar anatomy in Taiwanese individuals using cone beam computed tomography

Ting-Chun Shen; Ming-Gene Tu; Heng-Li Huang; Shin-Lei Peng; Jui-Ting Hsu

doi:10.1016/j.jds.2023.08.012

Analysis of mandibular molar anatomy in Taiwanese individuals using cone beam computed tomography

J Dent Sci. 2024 Jan;19(1):419-427. doi: 10.1016/j.jds.2023.08.012. Epub 2023 Aug 23.

Authors

Ting-Chun Shen¹, Ming-Gene Tu^{2

3}, Heng-Li Huang^{2

4

5}, Shin-Lei Peng¹, Jui-Ting Hsu^{2

4}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biomedical Imaging and Radiological Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
² School of Dentistry, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
³ Department of Dentistry, China Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Biomedical Engineering, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.
⁵ Department of Bioinformatics and Medical Engineering, Asia University. Taichung, Taiwan.

Abstract

Background/purpose: Before periapical surgery in the mandibular posterior teeth is performed, the thicknesses of the buccal alveolar bone wall and buccolingual root might be a critical issue. This study aimed to assess the anatomical structure of the posterior region of the mandible in Taiwanese individuals using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Materials and methods: The CBCT images of 96 Taiwanese individuals (51 male and 45 female), which included 192 mandibular first molars and 192 mandibular second molars, were imported into medical imaging software to measure the buccal alveolar bone thickness and buccolingual root thickness at 3 mm above the root apex. Statistical analysis was conducted to examine the impact of tooth position, gender, and age on the anatomical position of mandibular molars.

Results: The buccal alveolar bone thickness at 3 mm above the root apex of the mandibular second molar demonstrates a significantly higher value when compared to that of the first molar. Nonetheless, concerning the buccolingual root thickness, no significant differences were observed between these two teeth. In addition, the buccal alveolar bone thickness and buccolingual root thickness at 3 mm above the root apex may not be influenced by gender and age.

Conclusion: The anatomical structures of the posterior region of the mandible in Taiwanese individuals exhibited variations between the mandibular first and second molars. However, these differences were not influenced by gender or age.

Keywords: Buccal alveolar bone thickness; Cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT); Endodontic microsurgery (EMS); Mandibular posterior teeth; Mental foramen.