15-point MB2 protocol checklist

Use the checklist when MB2 anatomy stops being obvious.

Tap a point to bring the clinical guidance into focus. On larger screens, hover works too. The copy is written for controlled access, deliberate troughing, passive negotiation, glide path confirmation, and referral judgment.

Diagnose and orient

Expect MB2 in maxillary molars

Start every maxillary molar search with MB2 as the working assumption, not a rare exception.

MB2 anatomy is common enough that the clinical error is usually under-searching, not over-searching. Begin the case assuming a second mesiobuccal canal may be present, then let the chamber floor, radiographs, CBCT when indicated, and tactile feedback prove otherwise. This mindset changes the access plan: preserve the dentinal map, establish MB1, DB, and palatal landmarks first, and search deliberately rather than cutting randomly after the obvious canals have been found.

Source base

The MB2 checklist combines the local EndoTech protocol document with anatomy, CBCT prevalence, canal-configuration, and clinical-observation literature. The page uses these sources to support controlled access, deliberate troughing, passive scouting, glide path confirmation, and referral decisions.

Download PDF 15-point MB2 checklist

EndoTech NZ 15-point MB2 protocol checklist source document.
Al Mheiri E, Chaudhry J, Abdo S, El Abed R, Khamis AH, Jamal M. Evaluation of root and canal morphology of maxillary permanent first molars in an Emirati population; a cone-beam computed tomography study. BMC Oral Health. 2020;20:274. doi:10.1186/s12903-020-01269-2.
Vertucci FJ. Root canal anatomy of the human permanent teeth. Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology. 1984;58(5):589-599. doi:10.1016/0030-4220(84)90085-9.
Kulild JC, Peters DD. Incidence and configuration of canal systems in the mesiobuccal root of maxillary first and second molars. Journal of Endodontics. 1990;16(7):311-317. doi:10.1016/S0099-2399(06)81940-0.
Stropko JJ. Canal morphology of maxillary molars: clinical observations of canal configurations. Journal of Endodontics. 1999;25(6):446-450. doi:10.1016/S0099-2399(99)80276-3.
Cleghorn BM, Christie WH, Dong CCS. Root and root canal morphology of the human permanent maxillary first molar: a literature review. Journal of Endodontics. 2006;32(9):813-821. doi:10.1016/j.joen.2006.04.014.
Local EndoTech MB2 access, reference-image, and anatomy-book folders were used for workflow structure and redrawn teaching diagrams; unpublished reference-only images are not reused directly.