Spatial reproduction of the root canal system by magnetic resonance microscopy.

This study was intended to achieve an accurate spatial reproduction of the root canal system of extracted teeth by magnetic resonance microscopy (MRM). The measurements were performed in a Bruker spectrometer AMX 300 WB (300 MHz, 7T) with microimaging attachment. The data processing was carried out by a 3D-Fourier analysis and reconstructions were done by the UXNMR (Bruker) software system. The voxel resolution isotropically reached 98 microns, so that insights into the interior of teeth on a microscopic level could be obtained. The spatial configuration of the root canal system could be depicted in all parts from crown pulp to even small lateral canals. Within the pulp, tissue differences in its tissue texture were ascertained. As the necessary strong magnetic fields presently are not allowed to be used in people and as the acquisition of data is costly, the noninvasive MRM technique presently can be applied only in nonclinical situations.