Dr.
Rafeza Sultana
Ms- Resident,
Department of Conservative Dentistry & Endodontic.
BSMMU
Abstract: The purpose of this study was to
demonstrate the importance of knowledge of the internal anatomy of root canals
for the success of endodontic treatment. Lack of knowledge of anatomic
variations & their characteristics in different teeth has been pointed out
as one of the causes of endodontic therapy failure. The present report describes a right mandibular first permanent
molar requiring root canal therapy, found to have three separate canals (
type-1 configuration) in the mesial root
& two separate canals ( type-1 configuration) in the distal root . So
emphasizes the need for the clinicians to be aware of & look out for such
variation & use adequate diagnostic methodologies prior to & during
therapy to detect such variations. The operator experience has also shown to be
a key factor in negotiation & management of this aberrant canal
configuration.
Key Word:
Mandibular 1st
Molar, Middle Mesial canal, % root canal, Root canal anatomy.
Introduction: Knowledge of internal
dental anatomy is fundamental to the success of endodontic treatment. Incomplete
instrumentation, inadequate cleaning & shaping, & the subsequent
defective obscuration of root canals are the main causes of endodontic
treatment failure1. Anatomical characteristics of the different
types of teeth and their possible variations are challenges routinely faced by
practitioners performing endodontic treatment.
The correct access into the pulp
chamber, which should allow access to the orifices of the root canals and an
optimum view of the chamber floor, is a fundamental step in endodontic therapy
as it enables the identification of any variation in the number and position of
root canals2 .
The middle mesial canal has been more
commonly located in mandibular 1st molar10. Several studies have evaluated the degree of
variation in the number of roots and root canals in mandibular 1st
molars10 . Fabra campons10 studies 145 mandibular 1st
molars & found that 2.75% of the teeth had five canals. Martinez-burna and
Badanelli5 conducted a canal investigation & found 29 teeth with
five root canals in a
sample of 2362 mandibular permanent molars and reported that 12 out of 100
molars studied had a third mesial canal.
Aminsobhani et all studied the
occurrence and location of the middle mesial canal of mandibular 1st
molar & second molar in relation to other two mesial canals that were
treated in private practice that middle mesial canalwas located in the middle
of the distance between the mesiobuccal and mesiolingual canals. The canal
configuration was found in 6 2nd
molars & 21 1st molars. Middle mesial canals in all of the cases
joined to mesiobuccal or mesioligualcanals. None of the teeth consisted of three independent canals with three apical
foramina . Beatty & krell described a
mandibular 1st molar with three independent canals in the mesial
root . Author Dr. carlos Heibom et al
reported the number of roots, total number of canals, the number of middle
mesial canals & number of foramina in the following chart
Number of roots
Number of molars studied 18,781 3-rooted molars in
% 13 % (2,450)
|
Total number of
canals
Number of molars studied 4,745 61.3 % 3 canals 35.7 % 4 canals 0.8 % 5 canals
|
Number of canals
in mesial root
Number of mesial roots studied 4,535 3.3 % 1 canal 94.2 % 2 canals 2.6 % 3 canals
|
Mesial and
distal roots. Canal system configuration
Type I (1-1) Type II
(2-1) Type IV (2-2) Type VIII (3-3)
Number of mesial roots studied 4,331 35 % 52.3 % 0.9 %
Number of distal roots studied 2,992 62.7 % 14.5 % 12.4 %
|
Number of
foramina in mesial and distal roots
1 foramen 2
foramina 3 foramina
Number of mesial roots studied 4,817
38.2 % 59.2
% 1.6 %
Number of distal roots studied 3,378 77.2 % 22.2 %
|
Intercanal
communications. Type V isthmuses
Mesial root Distal root
Number of molars studied 1,615 54.8 % middle & apical
1/3 20.2 % middle 1/3
|
According to ingle12 one
of the most important causes of endodontic treatment failure is the incomplete
obturation of the root canal system. Therefore, the correct location,
instrumentation & obturation of all canals are indispensable
procedures.
Case report: A 19 years old male patient reported
to the department of conservative dentistry & endodontics BSMMU with
decayed tooth & associated pain over his right mandibular region. Intra
oral examination revealed class 1 deep carious lesion in mandibular right 1st
molar. The tooth exhibited no mobility, was mildly tender to percussion and
gives a negative respond to vitality test. The pre operative diagnostic
radiograph of the tooth revealed a deep carious lesion involving the pulp with
widening of apical periodontal space. A diagnosis of necrotic pulp with apical
periodontitis was made and endodontic treatment was scheduled. After
administration of local anesthesia & isolation, the carious lesion was
removed and an
Endodontic access was made.
Inspection of pulp chamber floor showed orifices corresponding to mesiobuccal,
mesioligual, distobuccal abd distolingual canals. On careful examination of the
groove between the mesiobucccl and mesiolingual canal orifice was identified
and subsequently negotiated. The working length was established (MB-20mm,
ML-20mm, Middle Mesial-19mm,DB-19.5mm,DL-19mm).The canals were instrumented
with NiTi file and irrigation was done
with 2.5% NaOCl solution. After
preparation the canal was finally flushed with normal saline & dried with
sterile paper points and Ca(OH)2 was given at the full length of the canals
with Lentulo-spiral for 1 week. At the
subsequent visit the Ca(OH)2 dressing was removed, the master cone fit was
cheeked and the root canal was dried with absorbent paper point and was
obturated with GP cone.
Discussion: Before root canal treatment
clinician should adequate knowledge of the pulp chamber and anatomy of teeth.
All root canals should be accessed, cleaned and shaped to achieve a hermetic
obturation of the entire root canal space.
There is an abundant amount of
reports that relate the anatomic variations of the mandibular molars. This
should induce the clinician to observe the pulp chamber floor to locate
possible canal orifices. This will increase the long term prognosis of
endodontic therapy. Searching for additional canal orifice should be standard
practice for clinician. A round bur or ultrasonic tip can be used for removal
of any protuberance from the mesial axial wall would prevent direct access to
the developmental groove between MB & ML orifices. This developmental
groove should be carefully cheeked with sharp endodontic explorer (DG-16,
JW-17). If orifices are located the groove can be troughed with ultrasonic tip,
its mesial aspect until small file can negotiate this intermediate canal4
. New technology such as dental operating microscopes and dental loupes
offer magnification and illumination of the operating field and substantially
improved the visualization of the root canal orifices5-6. But we did
not use these new technologies during treatment session.
Numerous studies in the past decade
have described the morphology of teeth including mandibular molars7.
The morphology of mesial root canals in mandibular molar is complex and high
frequency of intercanal communication and or isthmuses (7,8,9,10-13).
The presence of third canal (middle
mesial) in the mesial root of the mandibular molars has been reported to have
an incidence of 0.95% to 15%(4,7,11,14,15,19).In almost all of the
clinical cases reported until today
these canals joined the mesiobuccal & mesiolingual canal in the apica third20.
Radiographic
examination using intraoral periapical view is important for the evaluation of
the canal configuration. However it has its inherent limitation to access the
root canal system completely. Digital radiography at different angles with
subsequent image analysis can be used effectively. Computed tomography (CT)
imaging has been widely used in medicine since the 1970s and was introduced in
the endodontic field in 1990. Recently cone beam CT (CBCT) and RVG imaging has
been shown to provide comparable images at reduced dose and cost to be
considered as an alternative to multi detector CT imaging in endodontic. La et al.
2010 suggested clinical detection and management of an independent middle mesial
canal in mandibular molar by using CBCT
imaging.
Various
diagnostic aids like dyes, champagne bubble test , ultrasonic’s, micro openers
and transillumination aids, irrigators
to improve pulp chamber visibility (Stropko) and observing the chamber for
bleeding spots could be used by the clinician as an effective means to locate
additional canal orifices.
Conclusion: knowledge of
dental anatomy in fundamental for good endodontic preparation. Identification
of these extra canals and their instrumentation is one of the key factors in
the prevention of unsuccessful treatment outcomes. In addition to the various
diagnostic aids, operator experience has also been identified as a key factor
in locating these aberrant canals. The clinician should be aware of the incidence
of this type of variation in the mandibular first molar tooth and perform a
preoperative radiological assessment from different angles, a proper access preparation,
and thorough examination of the pulp chamber to locate and debride all the
canals. An accurate clinical evaluation of root canal and morphology in
mandibular first molar should be done using various diagnostic methodologies
with magnification and illumination, which would pave the way for long-term
success of endodontic therapy.
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