Prevalence of third mesial canal of first and second molar teeth from 2014 to 2016 in Tabriz

Abstract

Background: Success in identifying, locating, clearing and disinfecting mesial canals are important factors in preventing apical periodontitis and root canal treatment failure. Due to the influence of factors such as age, sex and race on root canal diversity, we aimed to study the frequency of third mesial canal in first and second mandibular molar teeth during 2014-2016 in Tabriz city.

Methods & Materials: This retrospective cross-sectional study was performed over a number of 454 patients, who requiring root canal treatment of first and second mandibular molar teeth, referred to a private dental clinic in Tabriz during 2014-2016. Based on the data from clinical records, a checklist including demographic information and status of the third mesial canal were completed for each study sample. Finally, the Spearman test and Fisher's exact test were used to investigate the relationship between age and sex with the presence of the third mesial canal in the studied patients. Results: In this study, the prevalence of third mesial canal in first and second mandibular molar teeth was 9%; as out of 454 patients, only 41 ones had mesial third canals. From the total number of patients with third mesial canal, 32 (78%) were referred for first molar root and 9 (22%) for second molar root. Although patients with the third mesial canal in first molar were younger than patients with the third mesial canal in second molar, there was no significant relationship between age and the presence of the third mesial canal. In addition, females were more likely than males to have the third mesial canal, but there wasn’t any significant relationship between gender and the presence of the third mesial canal. Conclusion: The results of current study indicated a low prevalence of third mesial canal in first and second mandibular molar teeth among Tabriz population, which was not affected by age and sex.