A C-Shaped Canal in a Maxillary Second Molar: Prexion 3D Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Analysis.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to present an atypical case of a C-shaped root canal that was present in the vestibular root of a permanent maxillary second molar using PreXion 3-D cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) as a diagnostic device.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A 50-year-old female patient was referred for routine examination to a private diagnostic imaging clinic in Recife-Pernambuco. During the physical examination, the presence of an unusual C-shaped anatomy in the vestibular canal with a mesiodistal interconnection that extended from the apical to the cervical third was detected in axial slices acquired with a PreXion 3-D scanner.

RESULTS

Although C-shaped root canals are most frequently observed in the mandibular second molar, this case presented a rare finding in the permanent maxillary second molar.

CONCLUSIONS

PreXion 3-D CBCT has emerged as a new high-resolution imaging test technology, thus assisting with the diagnosis of anatomical variations such as C-shaped root canals. However, such imaging technology is not recommended for routine use.