An in vitro evaluation of root canal morphology of maxillary second premolars in an Indian sub- population using computed tomography

Introduction: Various studies have reported variations in the number of canals and canal configurations in maxillary second premolars. Root canal configurations have been studied by various methods. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the different canal configurations and the incidence of two canals in the maxillary second premolar teeth of a north Indian population by using computed tomography. Materials and methods: One hundred completely formed, extracted non-carious maxillary second premolar teeth were collected and used in this study. The teeth were subjected to a high quality computed tomography (GE Light Speed Pro; GE Healthcare, Waukesha, WI, USA) scanner, which acquires forty slices per second. Each tooth was viewed in longitudinal as well as in transverse sections. The teeth were then grouped according to Vertucci's classification. Results and conclusions: This study showed that in almost 38% of the cases one root canal was found at the apex, and in 62% of cases two canals were found at the apex. The canal morphology was best visualised in the buccolingual plane. Seven types of canal configurations (type I, type II, type III, type IV, type V, type VI, type VII) were found. The most prevalent canal configuration was found to be type IV. Keywords: computed tomography, premolars, root canal anatomy, Vertucci's classification