Aladdin Al-Qudah

Cases of unusual and complex root canal morphology could be difficult to diagnose and treat. This report describes the diagnosis and management of a rare maxillary right second molar (tooth #17) with two distinct palatal canals. The tooth was diagnosed with irreversible pulpitis and symptomatic apical periodontitis. Non-surgical root canal treatment was performed. Accurate diagnosis and comprehensive treatment of cases with unusual root canal morphology can be achieved by evaluation of periapical radiographs at different angulations, advanced magnification techniques, and the Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) scanning. Clinicians should be aware that two separate palatal canals could exist in maxillary second molar teeth.

Restorative and prosthetic considerations usually necessitates endodontic treatment of third molars in order to retain them as a functional component of the dental arch. However, the anatomy of third molars has been described as unpredictable. To date, there has been little published work on root and canal morphology of third molars, with an adequate sample size. The aim of this study was to investigate root and canal morphology of third molars. Maxillary and mandibular third molars were gathered from dental surgeries within north Jordan. Following access cavity preparation, pulp tissue was removed and root canals stained. Teeth were subject to examination after rendering them clear by immersion in methyl salicylate, and the following features evaluated: (1) number of roots; (2) number and type of root canals; (3) number and position of lateral canals; and (4) presence of inter-canal communications. Out of the examined 592 maxillary third molars, 69.9% had three roots, 10.81% had one, 9.79% had two, 9.12% had four, and 0.34% had five roots. Most had three (52.36%) and four canals (28.2%) with less frequency of two (11.48%), one (5.91%) and five canals (2.03%). Of the 639 mandibular third molars, 89.76% had two roots, 7.35% had three, 2.5% had one, and 0.47% had four roots. Most had three (55.71%) and two canals (29.42%) with less frequency of four (13.61%), one (1.09%) and five canals (0.15%). The majority of maxillary third molars had 3 roots, while the majority of mandibular third molars had two. Overall, nearly half of the maxillary and mandibular third molars had three canals. New canal configurations, not previously described in the literature nor included in Vertucci’s classifications, were identified in both maxillary and mandibular third molars.

Aim  To examine the root and canal morphology of mandibular permanent first and second molar teeth in a Jordanian population.Methodology  A total of 685 extracted mandibular first and second permanent molar teeth were collected from dental clinics within north Jordan. The teeth were examined visually and the root number and morphology were recorded. After that, access cavities were prepared, pulp tissue dissolved by sodium hypochlorite and the root canals injected with Indian ink. Stained teeth were decalcified with 10% nitric acid, dehydrated with ascending concentrations of alcohol and rendered clear by immersion in methyl salicylate. The following observations were evaluated: (i) number of canals per root; (ii) number of root canals per tooth; (iii) canal configuration in each root; (iv) number and location of lateral canals and (v) presence of intercanal communications.Results  Of 330 mandibular first molars, the majority had three (48%) or four (46%) canals, whilst 4% had a third disto‐lingual root. Of 355 mandibular second molars, 58% had three canals, 19% two and 17% had four canals, whilst 10% had C‐shaped roots. The most prevalent canal configuration in the mesial root of both first (53%) and second (40%) molars was type IV, and in distal roots was type I (54% in first and 79% in second molars).Conclusions  Jordanian mandibular first and second molar teeth exhibit features close to the average Caucasian root and canal morphology.

Aim  To investigate the root canal morphology of mandibular incisors in a Jordanian population using a canal staining and tooth‐clearing technique.Methodology  Four hundred and fifty extracted mandibular incisors were collected from dental clinics within north Jordan. Following pulp tissue removal and staining of the canal systems, the teeth were decalcified with 5% nitric acid, dehydrated with ascending concentrations of alcohol and rendered clear by immersion in methyl salicylate. Cleared teeth were examined by eye and the following features were evaluated: (i) number and type of root canals; (ii) presence and location of lateral canals and intercanal communications; (iii) location of apical foramina; and (iv) frequency of apical deltas.Results  The majority of mandibular incisors had a single canal (73.8% of teeth possessed a Type I canal system). Although 26.2% of the roots possessed two canals, only 8.7% had two separate apical foramina.Conclusions  The prevalence of two canals in this group of mandibular incisors was 26.2% and is within the range of previous studies performed on populations of different racial origin.