Introduction: Successful endodontic treatment requires identification of the root canal morphology. The inability of dentists to accurately determine the location of all root canals lead to failure in endodontic treatment. Therefore, an accurate diagnostic tool is necessary to detect whole root canals' morphology. Aim: To determine the accuracy of standard resolution cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) in detection of the Mesiobuccal root canal morphology of maxillary molars. Material & Methods: The present in-vitro study was conducted on 78 human extracted maxillary molar teeth. The teeth were imaged by standard resolution CBCT, then stained and cleared. The canal staining and clearing technique was considered the gold standard because of its ability to provide an accurate three-dimensional view of the root canal system. The CBCT scans were assessed for detection and identification of mesio-buccal (MB) canal morphology according to Vertucci's classification, then compared with the gold standard.
Results: Statistical analysis showed a non-significant difference between the standard resolution CBCT and the clearing technique regarding the ability to detect MB root canal morphology (p < 0.05), in addition to diagnostic accuracy of 96.6%. The results show that the standard resolution mode can be employed to detect MB root canal variations as it provides high diagnostic accuracy with reduced patient radiation exposure. Conclusion: CBCT is a non-invasive imaging modality that can be used to accurately detect root canal morphology when other intra-oral low-dose imaging techniques do not provide conclusive results.