Assessing Maxillary Molar Furcation Involvement 
by Cone Beam Computed Tomography.

Area of Science:

• Dentistry
• Oral and Maxillofacial Radiology
• Periodontology

Background:

• Furcation involvement (FI) in maxillary molars is a complex periodontal condition.
• Accurate assessment of FI is crucial for treatment planning and prognosis.
• Cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) offers advanced imaging capabilities for dental diagnostics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the reproducibility of four quantitative parameters for assessing maxillary molar furcation involvement (FI) using CBCT.
• To introduce and validate novel measurement methods for FI on CBCT images.
• To compare CBCT findings with clinical probing for degree II FI.

Main Methods:

• Investigated 39 sites with degree II FI in 21 maxillary molars via CBCT.
• Measured four quantitative parameters: horizontal bone loss at furcation entrance (HBL), maximum HBL (HBL-max), maximum vertical bone loss (VBL-max), and root trunk length (RT).
• Assessed intraobserver and interobserver reproducibility using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs).

Main Results:

• CBCT confirmed only 17.9% of clinically diagnosed degree II FI; other cases showed different defect types or degrees.
• High intraobserver (ICCs 0.960–0.992) and interobserver (ICCs 0.873–0.947) reproducibility was found for all four parameters.
• CBCT imaging provided enhanced details for assessing maxillary molar FI compared to probing.

Conclusions:

• The developed parameters and measurement methods for assessing maxillary molar FI using CBCT exhibit high reproducibility.
• CBCT imaging provides superior detail for evaluating furcation involvement, aiding in more accurate diagnoses.
• These findings support the use of CBCT with the proposed parameters for improved FI assessment.