Unusual variant of type 3 dens invaginatus in a maxillary canine: a rare case report

J Endod. 2007 Jan;33(1):64-8. doi: 10.1016/j.joen.2006.06.010. Epub 2006 Oct 19.

Abstract

A 13-year-old boy presented with clinical symptoms of periapical inflammation related to the right maxillary canine. A bizarre radiographic appearance of the root was considered suggestive of a compound odontome. Histological examination of the surgically extracted canine revealed a very rare variant of Oehlers' type 3 invagination. The invagination originated in a pit above the cingulum as a narrow coronal channel that opened into a large cavity inside the dilated root. The radicular part of the invagination contained all components of the attachment apparatus. The root canal and its apical foramen were slit-like and circular. Radiographic appearance of two roots separated by a wide interradicular area in a normally single-rooted tooth is indicative of this variant of type 3 invagination. Timely prophylactic treatment and follow-up or early endodontic treatment confined to the coronal channel are crucial to prevent pulp necrosis and consequent loss of the tooth.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Cuspid / abnormalities*
  • Cuspid / diagnostic imaging
  • Cuspid / pathology
  • Dens in Dente / diagnostic imaging*
  • Dens in Dente / pathology
  • Dens in Dente / surgery
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Radiography
  • Rare Diseases / diagnostic imaging
  • Rare Diseases / pathology
  • Rare Diseases / surgery