EVALUATION OF ROOT CANAL MORPHOLOGY OF MAXILLARY PERMANENT SECOND MOLARS USING CONE BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY IN CHENNAI - A CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY.

Aim:To study the variation in the root canal morphology of maxillary permanent second molars in the Chennai population based on Vertucci classification by using cone beam computed tomography. Background:The success of endodontic treatment is mainly attributed to the understanding of the root canal morphology, proper cleaning and shaping, followed by obturation of the prepared root canals. Certain distinct features of the teeth may complicate an endodontic treatment due to the complex morphology and various individual variations of the teeth. Hence, It is important for a dentist to evaluate the root canal morphology of the teeth, which can be done using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) prior to any treatment involving the tooth pulp in order to ensure the success and effectiveness of the dental treatment. Materials and Methods:One hundred Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) images are randomly selected from the Department of Oral Medicine and Radiology in Saveetha Dental College and Hospital, Chennai, India. The selected CBCT images are examined for the inclusion criteria in maxillary permanent second molars based on Vertucci classification. Results:A total of 170 permanent maxillary second molars were examined in this study. Type 1 is commonly seen in males (90.59%), followed by Type 3 (4.31%), Type 5 (2.75%), Type 2 (1.96%) and Type 8 (0.39%) based on the Vertucci?s classification. In females, most of the root canal morphology is of Type 1 (87.84%), followed by Type 5 (3.53%), Type 3 (2.35%) and Type 4 (0.78%) respectively. The mean values of the length of mesiobuccal root of permanent maxillary second molars are 11.6997 mm in males and 11.0313 mm in females with standard deviations of 0.9541 and 0.9371 in males and females respectively. As for the length of distobuccal root, the mean values are 11.5302 mm with standard deviation of 0.8823 in males and 10.7267 mm in females with standard deviation of 0.5867. The mean values of the palatal root are 12.0041 mm in males and 11.0693 in females with standard deviations of 0.9714 and 0.6965 in males and females respectively. The mean distance between the occlusal pit and pulp chamber are 4.3681 mm with standard deviation of 0.5769 in males and 4.3728 mm with standard deviation of 0.7828 in females. The distance between the pulpal floor and furcation are reported to have a mean value of 3.3034 mm in males and 2.5493 mm in females with standard deviations of 0.6509 and 0.3765 in males and females respectively. The mean distance between the cement-enamel junction (CEJ) and pulp chamber is 3.2283 mm in males with standard deviation of 0.5708 and 2.6727 mm in females with standard deviation of 0.3853. Conclusion: Based on the findings in this study, it can be concluded that there is no significant variation in the root canal morphology of permanent maxillary second molars between males and females, particularly in the Chennai population as most of them commonly exhibit Type 1 in the permanent maxillary second molars. CBCT is one of the best methods to help dentists in proper evaluation of the root canal configurations in order to ensure the success of an endodontic treatment.