Evaluation of the Root and Canal Morphology of Mandibular Permanent Anterior Teeth in an Iranian Population by Cone-Beam Computed Tomography

Objective: To evaluate differences in the root and canal configurations of mandibular permanent anterior incisors and canines in an Iranian population by means of Cone Beam CT (CBCT) images. Materials and Methods: Four hundred CBCT images of mandibular permanent incisors and canines that met the inclusion criteria were evaluated. Vertucci´s classification was used to evaluate the number of roots, number of root canals, root lengths, root curvatures and canal types. Results: Totally 632 central incisors, 614 lateral incisors and 608 canines were evaluated. The average length of the mandibular central, lateral incisors and canines was 21.3±0.10, 21.9± 0.13 and 25.1± 0.11 mm, respectively. All of the mandibular central and lateral inci- sors had one root, but the incidence of single-rooted mandibular canines and two-rooted mandibular canines was 96.3% and 4.7%, respectively. The majority of mandibular cen- tral, lateral incisors and canines had one canal (72.7%, 70.6% and 71.8%, respectively). Five types of Vertucci canal configurations were seen in the evaluated teeth. Type 1 Ver- tucci configuration was the most prevalent configuration (72.3%, 70.6% and 71.8% for the central, lateral incisors and canines, respectively)), and type 5 Vertucci canal configuration was the least prevalent type seen (3.3%, 3.2% and 2.3% for the central, lateral incisors and canines, respectively). The most frequent root curvatures in these teeth were distally and Corresponding author: N. Meraji, Department of En- dodontic, Faculty of Dentistry, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran , Iran naghmeh_m82@yahoo.com Received: 18 February 2013 Accepted: 20 May 2013 buccally. No significant difference was seen between male and female patients regarding any of the parameters evaluated in this study (p>0.05). Conclusion: More attention should be given to the detection of additional canals and the recognition of canal curvature in Iranian patients.