Anatomic Comparison of Contralateral Maxillary Second Molars Using High-Resolution Micro-CT

Abstract

The present study aimed to measure and compare anatomic parameters in contralateral maxillary second molars. A total of 18 intact maxillary second molar pairs (n = 36) extracted from 18 patients were scanned with micro-computed tomography (micro-CT) and then reconstructed. Axial, sagittal, and cross-sectional slices were used to analyze the parameters (lengths, widths, and thicknesses) and evaluate the symmetry of the right and left sides. The number of root canals and their internal patterns were classified following Vertucci’s classification. The number of lateral canals and their locations were also noted. Contralateral second molar pairs demonstrated a high degree of similarity in terms of the linear measurements (lengths, widths, and thicknesses). The root canal anatomy configuration symmetry of mesiobuccal, distobuccal, and palatal roots according to Vertucci’s classification were 41.1%, 88.2%, and 94.4%, respectively. In total, 41.6% of mesiobuccal roots, 2.7% of distobuccal roots, and 30.6% of palatal roots had at least one lateral canal. The apical third (38.7%) was the most frequent location of lateral canals, followed by the middle third (32.3%) of the root. This study provides insight into the anatomy of the root canals of contralateral maxillary second molars, which is valuable for both practitioners and researchers.