Prevalence and morphology of lower second molars with C-Shaped canals: a CBCT analysis

• Elisabet Mingo ^[1] ; María Noguera ^[1] ; Francisca Jiménez ^[1] ; Maria Llüisa Ballester ^[1] ; Esther Berástegui ^[1]
  1. [1] Universitat de Barcelona

     Universitat de Barcelona

     Barcelona, España

     
• Localización: Journal of Clinical and Experimental Dentistry, ISSN-e 1989-5488, Vol. 17, Nº. 2 (February), 2025, págs. 160-167
• Idioma: inglés
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• Resumen

  • Background: This study aimed to assess the prevalence and morphology of lower second molars with C-shaped configuration among patients at the University of Barcelona Dental Hospital using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). Material and Methods: CBCT images of 408 patients, comprising 792 lower second molars, were examined to identify C-shaped canals and evaluate their anatomical characteristics. Inclusion criteria required patients to have both lower second molars present. The configuration of C-shaped canals was categorised at three axial root levels. The variables of symmetry, position, gender and age were analysed. Results: Out of the 792 lower second molars analysed, a total of 65 molars with C-shaped canals were identified in 42 patients, representing a prevalence of 10.2%. The prevalence in females (12.6%) was significantly higher than in males (6.5%). Bilaterality was observed in 54.76% of individuals with C-shaped molars. The C1 configuration was most frequently observed in the coronal third (56%), while the C2 configuration was equally distributed between the coronal and middle thirds (44.1%). The C3 configuration was most prevalent in the middle third (41.4%), and the C4 configuration was predominantly observed in the apical third (96%). Variations in configurations along the root were observed in 70.8% of the molars. The longitudinal groove was predominantly located on the lingual surface of the roots (83.1%). Conclusions: CBCT is a useful tool to analyse the morphology of the root canal system