A study of the root canal morphology of mandibular anterior teeth using cone-beam computed tomography in a Chinese subpopulation.

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study was to investigate the root canal configuration of the mandibular anterior teeth using cone-beam computed tomographic (CBCT) imaging in a Chinese subpopulation.

METHODS

A total of 3,871 CBCT images of mandibular anterior teeth were collected from 648 patients who accepted CBCT projection as a preoperative assessment for implants or orthodontic treatment. The following items were recorded and evaluated: tooth position, root number, canal number, root canal type, the distance between the anatomic apex and the point at which the canal divided into 2 for mandibular anterior teeth with 2 root canals (excluding canines with 2 roots), and the distance between the 2 root canal orifices. The Fisher exact test was used to analyze the correlation between the number of root canals and tooth position.

RESULTS

All of the incisors in this study had 1 root, and 1.32% of the canines had 2 roots. The prevalence of 2 root canals in the lateral incisors (354, 27.36%) was higher than that in the central incisors (202, 15.71%) (P < .05) and the canines (81, 6.27%) (P < .05).

CONCLUSIONS

There is a high prevalence of 2 root canals in the mandibular anterior teeth of the studied Chinese subpopulation. This study provides detailed information about the root canal morphology of mandibular anterior teeth in a Chinese subpopulation.