Prevalence of taurodontism in primary mandibular first molars of ethnic Indian children.

The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of taurodontism in primary mandibular first molars in ethnic Indian children using periapical radiographs. Periapical radiographs of 274 children obtained from December 2008 to August 2010 were retrospectively screened and examined. Radiographs of 196 patients (99 boys and 97 girls; ages 2.5-10.5) with bilateral primary mandibular first molars were randomly selected and evaluated. The gender, symmetry, and frequencies of occurrence of taurodont primary mandibular first molars were compared and the obtained data were statistically analyzed using the x2 test. Eight (4.08%) taurodont primary mandibular first molars were found with a bilateral incidence of a symmetrical distribution of 38% (3/8). The prevalence of taurodontism in primary mandibular first molars did not differ significantly between right and left sides or with gender (P ≥ 0.05). The results of the present study indicate that approximately 4% of Indian children had taurodontism in primary mandibular first molars. Clinicians should be aware of the prevalence of this anatomic variant in primary mandibular first molars among the Indian population for early identification of taurodonts and for rendering the best care during dental treatment.