Morphological Study of Root Canals of Maxillary Molars by Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the root canal morphology of permanent maxillary molars by cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) using the classifications of Weine et al. and Vertucci and to correlate the findings with sex, age, position in the dental arch, and prevalence of a second canal in the mesiobuccal root (MB2). A total of 414 scans were evaluated, corresponding to 1,000 teeth. The assessment consisted of coronal, axial, and sagittal reconstructions using i-CAT Workstation®. Type 0 was assigned when neither classification could be applied. The data were entered into an Excel spreadsheet and analyzed using SPSS. The chi-squared test or Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the distribution of root canal morphology classified using the two systems. Analysis of the distribution of Weine types showed a predominance of type III in mesiobuccal roots, while type 0 predominated in distobuccal and palatal roots. Vertucci type IV predominated in mesiobuccal and distobuccal roots and type VII in palatal roots. There was no difference in the distribution of morphological canal types in permanent maxillary molars evaluated by CBCT according to sex, age group, or position in the dental arch of the patients. MB2 canals were identified in 68.4% of the teeth evaluated.