First permanent molar root canal configurations in a South African sample: a descriptive micro-computed tomographic report
ORCID
- Casper Jonker: 0000-0002-9110-5208
- Federico Foschi: 0000-0001-6901-0280
Abstract
The aim of this paper was to describe root canal configurations using micro-CT in South African first molars. A segmentation process was followed on micro-focus X-ray computed tomography (micro-CT) scans of 101 maxillary and 86 mandibular first molars. Main and accessory root canal anatomy were considered to describe root canal configurations of South African first molars. Intra- and inter-observer reliability was determined using the unweighted Cohen’s Kappa test. Intra- and inter-rater agreement was 93% for maxillary configurations; 92.9% and 86.2% respectively for mandibular configurations. The most common main canal configurations were: 3MXFM MB1DB1P1 (n = 33/93, 35.5%) and 2MDFM M1-2D1 (n = 8/84, 9.5%) (separate three-rooted maxillary and two-rooted mandibular respectively). The addition of accessory canals resulted in configurations that were mostly individualised with only a few notable similarities. A total of 97 unique configurations were found in maxillary teeth and 85 in mandibular teeth. In the separate three-rooted maxillary molars, the only similarities were 3MXFM MB1(A2) DB1(A1) P1 (n = 4/93, 4.3%) and 3MXFM MB1(A1) DB1(A1) P1 (n = 2/93, 2.2%). In two-rooted mandibular molars, only 2MDFM M1D1 (n = 2/84, 2.4%) was noted. Root canal configurations were found to be diverse and complex.
Publication Date
2025-05-27
Publication Title
SADJ : journal of the South African Dental Association = tydskrif van die Suid-Afrikaanse Tandheelkundige Vereniging
ISSN
1029-4864
Keywords
Accessory canals, First molars, micro-CT, Root canal configurations
First Page
1
Last Page
27
Recommended Citation
Jonker, C., Lambourn, G., van der Vyver, P., Charlotte, T., Foschi, F., L’Abbé, E., & Oettlé, A. (2025) 'First permanent molar root canal configurations in a South African sample: a descriptive micro-computed tomographic report', SADJ : journal of the South African Dental Association = tydskrif van die Suid-Afrikaanse Tandheelkundige Vereniging, , pp. 1-27. Retrieved from https://pearl.plymouth.ac.uk/pds-research/339