Maxillary First Molars with Two Palatal Root Canals

Kun-Hwa Sung,Ho-Keel Hwang,Hyoung-Hoon Jo,Konstantinos Michalakis

doi:10.1155/2021/8885923

Abstract

Understanding the anatomical variations in the roots and root canal systems of a tooth is important for the success of root canal treatment. The palatal roots of the maxillary molars have fewer anatomical variations than the other roots, and fewer variations occur in the first molars than in the second molars. This case report describes two distinct cases of maxillary first molars with two palatal canals. For the root canal treatment of teeth with anatomical variations, it is essential to plan specific treatment strategies using cone-beam computed tomography and to execute them using a dental operating microscope. Knowledge of the anatomical variations in the palatal roots of maxillary first molars will help to increase the success rate of root canal treatments.

Highlights

Successful root canal treatment requires knowledge of the anatomy of the root and root canal [1]
A cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) study of the number of palatal root canals in 802 maxillary first molars and 660 upper second molars in Koreans showed that only 1.82% of the latter had two root canals [19]
Tooth 16 had two separate palatal roots, each with one orifice, one canal, and one apical foramen. As seen in these two patients, various anatomical variations may occur in the palatal roots of maxillary first molars, and more cases may be reported with the increased use of CBCT and dental operating microscopes

Summary

Introduction

Successful root canal treatment requires knowledge of the anatomy of the root and root canal [1]. Following Christie’s classification, Baratto-Filho et al proposed an additional type IV, in which the mesiobuccal and palatal roots may be fused in the coronal two-thirds [6] Since rare cases of maxillary molars with palatal root abnormalities have been reported [7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16]; data on the various types of anatomical variations and their incidence are limited. This case report describes the nonsurgical root canal treatment of maxillary first molars with two palatal root canals in two patients

Case Presentations

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion