ANÁLISE DA MORFOLOGIA DOS PRIMEIROS MOLARES SUPERIORES POR TCFC EM UMA SUBPOPULAÇÃO BRASILEIRA

Abstract

This study evaluated the morphological variations of permanent maxillary first molars in a Brazilian subpopulation using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). Data related to gender, number of roots, root canals, and root canal anatomy were analyzed based on Vertucci’s (1984) classification. The initial sample consisted of CBCT scans from 335 patients of both sexes, aged 18 to 80 years, indicated for diagnostic purposes. After applying the exclusion criteria, the final sample comprised permanent maxillary first molars. Image analysis revealed that all teeth had three roots, with 85.62% presenting three canals (n=143) and 14.37% four root canals (n=24). Among the mesiobuccal canals, the most prevalent configuration was Vertucci’s type I (84%), followed by type III (7%; n=11) and type II (5%; n=9). For the distobuccal canals, 99% were classified as type I, with a low prevalence of type III canals (1%). The palatal canals exclusively exhibited a type I morphology. In molars with four canals (n=24), the additional mesiolingual (ML) canal was classified as type I in 100% of the cases. It can be concluded that CBCT imaging allowed for accurate assessment of the number of roots and root canal morphology, elucidating the most frequent anatomical variations in permanent maxillary first molars.