Three root canals in the mesiobuccal root of maxillary molars: case reports and literature review

Abstract

Introduction: The knowledge of root canal anatomy is essential to ensure a successful outcome of surgical and nonsurgical root canal treatment. The aims of this article were to present 2 cases of maxillary molars with 3 mesiobuccal root canals and to review the available literature on this anatomic variation.

Methods: The first case described a nonsurgical root canal treatment of tooth #16 in a 29-year-old man with the aid of a dental operating microscope. In the second case, an extracted maxillary right first molar was scanned by a micro-computed tomographic system and reconstructed 3-dimensionally using modeling software.

Results: In both cases, the mesiobuccal root had 3 canals (type 3-2 in case I and type 3-3 in case II), whereas the distobuccal and palatal roots had a single canal. The literature review showed that the overall incidence of 3-canaled mesiobuccal roots in maxillary molars ranged from 1.3%-2.4% and that the most common root canal configuration was type 3-2.

Conclusions: Clinicians should always anticipate the presence of extra canals in maxillary molars and use all the available tools to locate and treat these.

Keywords: Anatomic variation; dental operating microscope; maxillary molars; mesiobuccal root; micro–computed tomography; root canal system.