Comparison of the diagnostic value of CBCT and Digital Panoramic Radiography with surgical findings to determine the proximity of an impacted third mandibular molar to the inferior alveolar nerve canal

Background: This study evaluated and determined the proximity of an impacted third mandibular molar (TMM) to the inferior alveolar canal (IAC) by using CBCT and digital panoramic radiography. Materials and Methods: This descriptive-analytic research applied CBCT and panoramic radiographs for 60 subjects (28 men, 32 women). Subjects selected showed a close proximity about the TMM to the inferior nerve canal on panoramic radiographs; these subjects then received CBCT radiographs. The CBCT findings for the proximity of the TMM to inferior nerve canal used the outcomes of surgical findings as the standard of comparison. Results: Eight cases showed positive surgical findings indicating vicinity of the third molar and the mandibular nerve canal. Only 13.3% of the cases in which panoramic views showed the proximity of the TMM and the IAC were confirmed during surgery. The result for CBCT radiographic diagnosis was 95%. Conclusion: It can be concluded that CBCT is preferred over panoramic radiography to determine the proximity of the impacted TMM to the IAC. Narrowing of the mandibular canal or root canal, disconnection of root borders in panoramic radiography, and the inferior-lingual proximity of the tooth to the root in CBCT strongly indicated the close nearness of the impacted TMM to the IAC.