Morphological considerations of the dental pulp chamber from radiographs of molar and premolar teeth

Abstract

Bite-wing radiographs of 259 schoolchildren were taken at the ages of 11 and 14 years. The mesiodistal pulp width in molar and premolar teeth and the height of the pulp chamber in the mandibular molars was measured using a Lysta-Dent Digitizer. The results indicated that the mesiodistal width of the pulp formed 42 per cent of the overall dimension of the mandibular first permanent molar, and 35 per cent of the maxillary teeth in children aged 11 years. This compared with 23 and 21 per cent in the corresponding second premolar teeth of children of similar age. There was a reduction in the mesiodistal width of the pulp chamber of molar and premolar teeth between the ages of 11 and 14 years. This diminution was most marked in the newly erupted second premolars (3·5 per cent), but of minor significance in the first permanent molars (only 1 per cent in the case of the mandibular tooth). There was a highly significant reduction in the height of the pulp chamber of the mandibular first permanent molar (15 per cent), this was mainly due to an increase in thickness of the pulpal floor.