Cone Beam Computed Tomography of Mesiobuccal Root and Canal Morphology of Maxillary Molars in Delhi-NCR Population- A Retrospective Study

Introduction: Adequate knowledge of the anatomic variation and root canal morphology is paramount for long term endodontic success. The presence of two canals in Mesiobuccal (MB) root is commonly associated with maxillary molars in various populations. Aim: To retrospectively evaluate the prevalence of a second mesiobuccal canal (MB2) in maxillary first and second molars in Delhi-National Capital Region (NCR) population using Cone Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) analysis. Materials and Methods: This retrospective study evaluated the records of complete maxillary CBCT scans of 204 maxillary first and second molars from January 2016 till May 2019 from different CBCT centres in Delhi-NCR region to determine the anatomy and morphology in June 2019. The prevalence of second MB2 canals was recorded and associated with age, gender and symmetry. The z-test for proportions was used to assess the differences among the subgroups. Results: The number of roots in 204 teeth in both maxillary molars were determined. The prevalence of 3-rooted configuration was 98.55% in maxillary first molars and 79.4% in maxillary 2nd molars. Also, in maxillary 2nd molars, 7.4% were single rooted and 13.2% had 2-rooted configuration. Three rooted configuration and variable canal number was commonly reported in maxillary molars. Prevalence of MB2 canal was 87.2% in maxillary 1st molars and 64.2% in maxillary 2nd molars. Also, the prevalence was 87.2% bilaterally in maxillary first molars and 65.7% on the right and 53.9% on the left in maxillary second molars respectively. Type IV canal configuration was most prevalent in 44.60% of maxillary first molars and type 1 configuration (35.78%) for the maxillary second molars. Conclusion: Prevalence of MB2 canals in maxillary first and second molars was found to be high in North Indian population and the clinician should suspect its presence in all cases. Prevalence of MB2 had bilaterally symmetrical distribution without any association with age or gender. The MB roots were more likely to exhibit type IV and type II canal configurations in maxillary first molars and type I and type II configurations in second molars.