A comparative examination of the relationship of maxillary impacted 3rd molar teeth with maxillary sinus and maxillary 2nd molar teeth with panoramic radiography and CBCT

Aim: The aim of our study is to comparative examination of the maxillary impacted third molar teeth in terms of parameters such as the type of impaction, position, root development stage, follicle width, vertical relationship with the sinus and changes in the distal surface of maxillary second molar teeth (marginal bone loss, presence of caries, resorption on the root surface) with panoramic radiography and cone beam computerized tomography (CBCT) methods and to determine the effectiveness of panoramic radiograph (PR) in the evaluation of maxillary impacted third molar teeth. Materials and Methods: In our study, 188 impacted maxillary third molar teeth belonging to 121 patients were evaluated with both PR and CBCT images in terms of type of impaction, angulation type, root development, follicle width, relationship with maxillary sinus of maxillary third molar teeth and presence of caries, marginal bone loss, resorption level of the distal surface of the maxillary second molar tooth. Results: Detection of "the presence of caries on the distal surface of the maxillary second molar tooth" was found to be the parameter showing the highest agreement among imaging methods (overall agreement rate 92,6%). The least agreement between the two imaging methods (overall agreement rate 61,2%) was observed the "resorption level on the distal root surface of the maxillary second molar tooth" parameter. Also, the general accuracy rate of PR in determining the marginal bone defect in the distal of the maxillary second molar tooth was 71,3%, the general accuracy rate in determining the type of vertical relationship of the impacted tooth with the maxillary sinus was 70,2%, the general accuracy rate in determining the type of impaction according to the overlying tissue was found 84,5%. Conclusion: While PR is a reliable imaging method for detecting distal surface caries of the maxillary second molar tooth, it is not a reliable method to detect the resorption level of the maxillary second molar tooth at the distal root surface. Keywords: Impacted tooth, cone beam computed tomography, panoramic radiograph