Accuracy verification of dental cone-beam computed tomography of mandibular incisor root canals and assessment of its morphology and aging-related changes

The root canal morphology undergoes aging-related changes, and relevant quantitative analyses have not yet been reported. We compared the cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) scans of extracted mandibular incisors to check the accuracy of morphological measurements. Thereafter, the root canal morphology and aging-related changes in the mandibular incisors of Japanese individuals were assessed using CBCT. Six extracted teeth were fixed in a phantom head and imaged using CBCT and micro-CT. The correlation between the findings of the two imaging modalities was examined. Further, CBCT reconstructed images of the mandibular incisors of 81 individuals were observed. Age-related changes of the root canals were compared between participants aged