Endodontic configuration of the lower incisors in a Romanian population: a radiological study

The significant rate of failure of endodontic treatment to lower incisors was attributed to poor knowledge of their endodontic morphology. As emphasized by Tinelli ME et al. (2011), the morphology of the endodontic system is strongly related to ethnicity, making possible the existence of important anatomical variations at different population groups. The present study analyzes, using radiological means, the endodontic anatomy of lower incisors extracted from a Romanian population. Five hundred seventy-five lower central and lateral incisors were radiographed and Weine's classification was used to evaluate their endodontic morphology. After processing the data, it was concluded that 81% of the studied teeth have one canal and the remaining 19% have two canals. In terms of endodontic configuration, 81% of 575 studied teeth are Weine Type I, 17% Type II, 1% Type III and 1% Type IV. Results obtained in this study are within existing international endodontic literature. Type II and IV configurations have a high degree of treatment difficulty. This requires thorough clinical and radiological examination of several incidents, possibly cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) and individualized therapeutic means to ensure treatment success. This study is the first of this magnitude in the Romanian specialty literature.