Abstract
BackgroundThe success of endodontic treatment is greatly affected by the location of the root canals. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the root and canal morphology of permanent maxillary first and second molars in a Polish population using cone-beam computed tomography scanning.MethodsCone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) scans of maxillary first and second molars the maxilla were examined. The number of roots and root canals, and the frequency of additional canals (MB2) in the mesiobuccal root canals were determined. The results were subjected to statistical analysis using the chi-square test or the chi-square test with Yates’ correction.ResultsA total of 112 CBCT images of maxillary first (n = 185) and second molars (n = 207) from 112 patients were analyzed. All the maxillary first molars had three roots (100%). The majority of maxillary second molars had three roots (91.8%), 5.8% had two roots and 2.4% had one root. A statistically significant difference was observed between the numbers of roots in the maxillary first and second molars (p < 0.01). A statistically significant difference was also found in the distribution of the number of canals in the maxillary first and second molars (p < 0.001). The majority of maxillary first molars had four root canals (59.5%), while 40.5% had three root canals. Most maxillary second molars had three root canals (70%). Additional canals (MB2) in the mesiobuccal roots were detected significantly more frequently in the maxillary first molars than the second molars (p = 0.000) and more frequently in men than in women (p < 0.05). A higher prevalence of two canals in the mesiobuccal roots in maxillary second molars occurred in patients aged between 31 and 40 years than in patients aged between 21 and 30 years. In the maxillary first molars, the prevalence of the MB2 canal in the mesiobuccal root was almost equally distributed in the two age groups (21–30 and 31–40 years).ConclusionWithin the limitations of this study, it can be concluded that there are differences in the number and configuration of roots and root canals between maxillary first and second molars in the studied patients of a Polish population.
Highlights
The success of endodontic treatment is greatly affected by the location of the root canals
Tooth-clearing techniques have been generally considered the gold standard for the evaluation of root canal morphology, these techniques are in vitro methods that use only extracted teeth; the clinical methods used for analyzing the internal anatomy of teeth are X-rays and tomograms [10]
Our present findings reveal no significant differences in the distribution of the Second mesiobuccal canal (MB2) canal of the maxillary first molars between the two age groups; age was found to have an effect on the incidence of the MB2 canal of the mesiobuccal root only in maxillary second molars
Summary
The success of endodontic treatment is greatly affected by the location of the root canals. Literature reports often emphasize the need to identify an additional root canal (MB2) in the mesiobuccal root; its incidence varies [3,4,5]. This variation can be attributed to the different methods that were used by the researchers: study protocols (in vivo or in vitro); sample size; and techniques used to identify canal configuration [3, 6, 7]. This variation could be associated with age, sex, and ethnic differences of the study populations [8]
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