Morphology of Bifurcated Canals in Permanent Mandibular Premolars: A Micro-computed Tomographic Analysis

To investigate the root canal morphology of bifurcated canals in mandibular premolars in a Thai sub-population using micro-computed tomography (micro-CT).

Eighty extracted mandibular premolars with bifurcated canals, comprising 64 mandibular first premolars and 16 mandibular second premolars, were scanned using micro-CT and analysed. Root canal morphology was evaluated in terms of the distance and level of canal separation from the cementoenamel junction (CEJ), direction of canal bifurcation and angles of canal separation and curvature.

The mean distance of canal separation from the CEJ was 6.76 ± 2.58 mm in mandibular first premolars and 9.06 ± 3.82 mm in mandibular second premolars. Canal separation predominantly occurred at the middle root level (65.06% in first and 56.25% in second premolars), primarily in the buccolingual direction. The mean angles of canal separation were 11.52° ± 6.43° (buccal) and 25.47° ± 9.94° (lingual) in mandibular first premolars, with a similar pattern in mandibular second premolars. The mean angles of curvature were 16.14° ± 8.26° (buccal) and 25.14° ± 11.47° (lingual) in mandibular first premolars, and 16.90° ± 10.05° (buccal) and 19.20° ± 10.96° (lingual) in mandibular second premolars.

In mandibular premolars with bifurcated canals, canal separation most commonly occurs 6-9 mm apical to the CEJ and predominantly at the middle root level in a buccolingual orientation. The buccal canal tends to be straighter, whereas the lingual canal exhibits sharper separation angles and greater curvature.