Evaluation of Root and Root Canal Morphology of Mandibular First and Second Molars in a Greek Population: A CBCT Study

Abstract

Objective: Τo study the number of roots, canal configurations, and frequency of morphological variations inmandibular first and second molars in a Greek population.Methods: This study examined 478 mandibular first molars and 524 mandibular second molars using a highresolution cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). The number of roots was recorded and the root canalconfiguration was categorized based on the classification by Vertucci. The presence and configuration of Cshaped root canals were recorded and they were classified according to the Fan classification. The symmetrybetween the right and the left side was also evaluated.Results: Among the mandibular first molars, 0.2% teeth were single-rooted, 96.4% were two-rooted, and3.3% were three-rooted. In the mandibular second molars, 12.2%, 82.8%, and 4.9% were single-rooted, tworooted, and three-rooted, respectively. In two-rooted mandibular first and second molars, the most frequentroot canal pattern observed was Vertucci’s type II in the mesial root (69.8% and 64.1%, respectively) and Vertucci’s type I in the distal root (81.7% and 97.7%, respectively). Three-rooted molars showed one oval-shapedmesial root and two distal roots (56.2% in first molars, 65.4% in second molars), where each distal root contained a single root canal (type I), and the mesial root presented either type II (53.3%), IV (26.6%), I (13.3%),or V (6.6%) canal configurations. C-shaped canals were only detected in mandibular second molars (5.3% ofteeth, 10.8% of individuals), and bilateral occurrence was observed in 24.5% patients. The most frequent rootcanal pattern was Fan’s C1 type at the orifice, followed by C3a and C3b in the coronal and middle third, whichjoined into a single canal (C4) apically.Conclusion: The characteristics of the root and root canal anatomy of the mandibular first and second molarsof Greek individuals were similar to those observed in Caucasians. However, the higher incidence of thirdroots in mandibular molars in Greek individuals compared to Caucasians requires absolute clinical awareness