The Journal of Contemporary Dental Practice

Register      Login

SEARCH WITHIN CONTENT

FIND ARTICLE

Volume / Issue

Online First

Archive
Related articles

VOLUME 9 , ISSUE 7 ( November, 2008 ) > List of Articles

RESEARCH ARTICLE

Prevalence of Additional Canals in Maxillary First Molars in a Nigerian Population

Oluwole O. Dosumu, Iyabo M. Funmilayo Abiodun-Solanke, Peter O. Shaba, Deborah M. Ajayi

Citation Information : Dosumu OO, Abiodun-Solanke IM, Shaba PO, Ajayi DM. Prevalence of Additional Canals in Maxillary First Molars in a Nigerian Population. J Contemp Dent Pract 2008; 9 (7):81-88.

DOI: 10.5005/jcdp-9-7-81

License: CC BY-NC 3.0

Published Online: 01-10-2010

Copyright Statement:  Copyright © 2008; The Author(s).


Abstract

Aim

The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of additional canals in maxillary first molars in a selected population in Nigeria.

Methods and Materials

One hundred extracted teeth were collected from the Pedodontic and Oral Surgery clinics of the University College Hospital in Ibadan, Nigeria. The teeth were identified and their root planed to remove adherent soft tissues. Each tooth was sectioned at the cementoenamel junction (CEJ) and then again at 2 mm below the CEJ. The number of canals present in each root was noted. For the clinical aspect of the study, 30 patients with clinical and radiological evidence of pulpal involvement participated in the study. These patients had root canal therapy performed on their maxillary first molars and the number of canals was confirmed with periapical radiographs.

Results

In the laboratory phase of the study 77% of the teeth sectioned had three canals while 22% had four canals with the fourth canal being a second mesiobuccal canal. Only one tooth had five canals with two canals in the palatal root, two canals in the mesiobuccal root, and the remaining canal in the distobuccal root. For the clinical phase of the study, 29 (96.7%) out of 30 patients treated had three canals while only one (3.3%) had four canals with the fourth canal being a second mesiobuccal canal.

Conclusion

Clinicians should assume there are additional canals in each root when performing endodontic therapy on the maxillary first molar. Only after a thorough search for extra canals and after it is determined further preparation would be fruitless or could cause perforation should the clinician proceed with treating only one canal per root.

Clinical Significance

If root canal therapy fails, it may be due to the existence of an extra canal that was not located and treated in the first place. This should be considered carefully during re-treatment either by surgical or non-surgical methods.

Citation

Abiodun-Solanke IMF, Dosumu OO, Shaba PO, Ajayi DM. Prevalence of Additional Canals in Maxillary First Molars in a Nigerian Population. J Contemp Dent Pract 2008 November; (9)7:081-088.


PDF Share
  1. Root Canal anatomy of the human permanent teeth. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol 1984; 58:589-99.
  2. A preliminary in vitro study of the incidence and position of root canal isthmus in maxillary and mandibular first molars. Int Endod J 2003; 36:276-80.
  3. Canal configuration in mesiobuccal root of maxillary first molar: A descriptive study. Gen Dent 2004; 52:34-36.
  4. Root canal morphology of Burmese maxillary molars. Int. Endod J 2001; 34:620-30.
  5. Stetcher T. Identification of second canal in mesiobuccal root of maxillary first and second molars using magnifying loupes or an operating microscope. Austr Endod J 2002; 28:57-60.
  6. Maxillary first molars and their canals-benefits of magnification. Dent Today 2003; 22:72-75.
  7. Root and canal morphology of Thai maxillary molars. Int Endod J 2002; 35:478-85.
  8. Root canal systems of mandibular and maxillary first permanent molars of South Asian Pakistanis. Int Endod J 2001; 34:263-66.
  9. Canal configuration in the mesiobuccal root of the maxillary first molars and its endodontic significance. Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Path 1969; 28:419-25.
  10. Clinical detection of minor mesiobuccal canal in maxillary molars. Int Endod J 1992; 25:304-306.
  11. Frequency of two mesiobuccal roots canals in maxillary permanent first molars. J Am Dent Assoc 1973; 87:852-65.
  12. Prediction of canal number from the pulp chamber shape in maxillary molars. Nig Dent J 2004; 1:28-29.
  13. Incidence and configuration of canal systems in the mesiobuccal root of maxillary first and second molars. J Endod 1990; 16:311.
  14. Endodontic Miscellany. Negotiation and management of canal in maxillary molar. Endod 2003;15:33.36.
  15. Morphologic study of the maxillary molars. Braz Dent J 1992;3:53-57.
  16. Canal morphology of maxillary molars:clinical observations of canal configurations. J Endod 1999; 25:446-50.
  17. Effects of magnification on locating the second mesiobuccal canal in maxillary molars. J Endod 2002; 28:324-27.
  18. Maxillary molars with palatal canals. J Endod 1991; 17:298-99.
  19. Unusual palatal root canal morphology in maxillary molars. Endod Dent Traumatol 1994; 10:19-22.
  20. Maxillary first molar with six canals. J Endod 1988; 14:258-60.
  21. A six canal maxillary first molar; a case report. Int Endod J 2002; 35:486-491.
  22. The importance of endodontic access in locating maxillary and madibular molar canals. J Can Dent Assoc 2002;60:27-32, 535-36.
  23. Unusual maxillary first molars with two palatal canals within a single root. J Can Dent Assoc (April) 2001; 67:211-13.
  24. Eric whaites. Churchill Livingstone 1992.
  25. Canal configuration of the mesiobuccal root of the maxillary first molar of a Japanese sub-population. Int. Endod J 1999;79-87.
PDF Share
PDF Share

© Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers (P) LTD.