The Prevalence of a Forensic Index the Tubercule of Carabelli for a Moroccan Population

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of our study was to determine the prevalence, degree of expression and symmetry of the tubercle of Carabelli in a sample of Dentistry students to highlight this sensitive area to dental caries. Materials and Methods: We conducted a descriptive transversal survey of students in the 4th year of the academic year 2015/2016 at the Faculty of Dental Medicine of Casablanca. The study is made on plaster models for students, by measuring the mesiodistal diameter of the TC with an electronic calliper. Results: Several results were obtained: 64.29% of the study population have CT, while it is absent in 35.71% of cases, 37.50% with a tubercle of Carabelli little developed, 26.71% with a well-developed Carabelli tubercle, 61.11% of cases exhibit TC bilaterally and 38.89% of cases present the TC unilaterally. The results are consistent with those obtained in other surveys conducted in other countries and discordance with others. Conclusion: The lack of standardization of the study’s methodology makes it difficult to compare the results of various studies, hence the need for similar studies on larger samples. It has some importance in the dental, forensic, and anthropological fields. In orthodontics, the cause of premature caries and periodontal diseases, also in extractions, the molar extraction instruments have no housing for this cusp and can therefore lead to fracture.