Clinical Investigation of Second Mesiobuccal Canals in Endodontically Treated and Retreated Maxillary Molars

Abstract

An examination of 1873 conventionally treated and retreated maxillary first and second molars was made in an attempt to determine the percentage of second mesiobuccal (MB2) canals that could be located routinely and evaluate if there were any significant differences between initial treatments and retreatments. The teeth examined were 1193 first molars and 680 second molars treated consecutively over a 2-yr period by five endodontists. Overall the MB2 canal was found in 724 (61%) first molars and 245 (36%) second molars. The incidence of a MB2 canal in first molar retreatments was 67% compared to a 59% incidence in initial treatments. Whereas in second molars, the retreatment incidence was 44% compared with 35% in initial treatments. The significant difference in the incidence of a MB2 canal between initial treatments and retreatments suggests that failure to find and treat existing MB2 canals will decrease the long-term prognosis.

Endodontic treatment of three mandibular incisors with two canals and two separate foramina: A case report

“…Inability to detect and cleaning of all canals and incorrect canal obturation are among the most important factors in treatment failure [2,12,13] . However, complete cleaning and shaping cannot be achieved because of root canal system complexity.…”

“…However, complete cleaning and shaping cannot be achieved because of root canal system complexity. It is difficult to measure the importance of these uncleansed areas in treatment success [13] .…”

Morphologic Variations of Maxillary Molars Palatal Root and the Importance of Its Knowledge for Endodontic Practice: A Case Series

“…5,6,[9][10][11] This occurrence must be investigated, since not observing a canal during endodontic therapy is a major cause of treatment failure. 7 According to the literature, [8][9][10][12][13][14][15][16][17] the observation of two canals in maxillary first molars ranges from 0 to 5.50%, and the observation of two independent foramens from 0 to 4%. On the contrary, there have been few studies focusing on the prevalence of this atypical occurrence in maxillary second molars, 14,16,18 although several case reports have been described.…”

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6] Clinical studies confirm the presence of four root canals on maxillary first molars as the anatomical feature most frequently found. Wolcott et al 7 observed two canals in the mesiobuccal root in 61.1% of cases, and Buhrley et al 3 in 71.1%. In contrast to these findings, the frequency of reports of two palatal canals is low.…”

In vitro detection of mesio-buccal canals in maxillary molar cross-sections using three different resolutions with Kodak 9000 3D CBCT.

“…Wolcott, et al (45) found significant difference in the incidence of a MB2 canal between initial treatments and re-treatments suggests that failure to find and treat existing MB2 canals will decrease the long term prognosis. The incidence of a MB2 in first molar retreatments was 67% compared to a 59% incidence in initial treatments.…”