Alicia Caro M.; Ramon Naranjo & Juan Carlos Caro

Summary

The main objectives of non-surgical endodontic treatment are the prevention and / or treatment of apical periodontitis, as well as resolving signs and symptoms of irreversible pulpal lesions. Considering the complex morphology of the root canal system, the a canal left untreated, can generate contamination, pulp and periapical symptoms. The prevalence for MV2 reported worldwide for the upper first molar, varies depending on the ex vivo or ex vivo techniques used in each study. Consequently, the present work aims to assess the prevalence of MV2 in first upper molars based on four ex vivo diagnostic techniques applied. An observational crosssectional study was performed in 101 upper first molars extracted under informed consent to determine the prevalence of the MV2 duct and its morphology based on orthoradial radiography, Cone Beam tomography, coronary opening with a surgical microscope (16x), and axial root cuts applied ex vivo. The prevalence found for MV2 by each technique was 81.1 % for root cuts and Cone Beam tomography, 59.4 % for coronal opening with a microscope (16x) and 32.6 % with orthoradial radiography. In 3.96 % of the sample, a third mesiovestibular canal was found based on the root cutting technique. The internal morphology of the root canal system was 36 % Vertucci´s class II, 19 % class I and 16 % class IV. The results of the present study coincide with that reported in the literature, and confirm the higher prevalence reported in ex vivo studies for this situation. The presence of MV2 in the upper first molar is a frequent condition that the endodontist must consider, using imaging techniques and magnification technology to ensure therapeutic success in these teeth.

KEY WORDS: prevalence, morphology, molar, endodontics.

How to cite this article

CARO, A.; NARANJO, R. & CARO, J. C. Prevalence and morphology of second mesiobuccal canal in maxillary first molars based on four ex vivo techniques. Int. J. Odontostomat., 14(3):387-392, 2020.