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Published on: October 27, 2023
Three root canals in the mesiobuccal root of maxillary molars: case reports and literature review
Ibrahim Ali Ahmad1, Anas Al-Jadaa2
1Restorative Dentistry Department, Riyadh Colleges of Dentistry and Pharmacy, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Introduction:
The knowledge of root canal anatomy is essential to ensure a successful outcome of surgical and nonsurgical root canal treatment. The aims of this article were to present 2 cases of maxillary molars with 3 mesiobuccal root canals and to review the available literature on this anatomic variation.
Methods:
The first case described a nonsurgical root canal treatment of tooth #16 in a 29-year-old man with the aid of a dental operating microscope. In the second case, an extracted maxillary right first molar was scanned by a micro-computed tomographic system and reconstructed 3-dimensionally using modeling software.
Results:
In both cases, the mesiobuccal root had 3 canals (type 3-2 in case I and type 3-3 in case II), whereas the distobuccal and palatal roots had a single canal. The literature review showed that the overall incidence of 3-canaled mesiobuccal roots in maxillary molars ranged from 1.3%-2.4% and that the most common root canal configuration was type 3-2.
Conclusions:
Clinicians should always anticipate the presence of extra canals in maxillary molars and use all the available tools to locate and treat these.
