TITLE:
Root and Canal Morphology of Maxillary First Premolar Teeth in a Ugandan Population
AUTHORS:
Charles Mugisha Rwenyonyi, Annet Kutesa, Louis Muwazi, William Buwembo
KEYWORDS:
Clearing Technique, Maxillary Premolars, Root Canal, Ugandan
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Stomatology,
Vol.1 No.1,
March
22,
2011
ABSTRACT: Aim : To determine the variations in the root and canal morphology of the maxillary first
premolar teeth in a Ugandan population. Methodology : Extracted maxillary first
premolar teeth (n = 202) were evaluated in this study. The specimens had their pulp
chambers de-roofed. They were decalcified in nitric acid and made transparent with
methyl salicylate. Indian ink was injected into the root canals to display their
configuration. Results : One hundred and forty eight (73.3%) of the specimens had two
roots, of which 16.9% (n = 25) had fused roots. About 26.7% (n = 54) of the specimens
were single rooted. Eleven (20.4%) of the single rooted specimens had one canal of
either Vertucci type I, III, V or VII configuration while 79.6% (n = 43) of the specimens
had two canals of either Vertucci type II, IV or VI configuration. The two-rooted
specimens exhibited Vertucci type IV and VIII canal configuration: 96.6% and 3.4%,
respectively. The single rooted teeth had a higher prevalence of lateral canals, canal
intercommunications and multiple apical foramina as compared to the two-rooted
specimens. Conclusion : The maxillary first premolar teeth in this Ugandan population
showed a higher prevalence of two-root morphology with majority of the roots having
Vertucci type IV canal configuration. There was no three-root anomaly recorded in the
present material.