PRESENCE OF EXTRA CANAL IN PERMANENT MANDIBULAR FIRST MOLAR

Background: The success of root canal therapy depends on proper knowledge of root canal system, presence of extra canals, complete debridement and three-dimensional obturation of the entire root canal system. Previous studies have reported three to five canals in mandibular first molars.  There might be chance of missing the canal that may lead to root canal failure, because of the variability in the number of root canals. The objective of this study was to determine the percentage of extra canal in the permanent mandibular first molar in patients undergoing root canal treatment. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted in the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics of Peoples Dental College and Hospital over a period of ten months from 6th September 2021 to 31st July 2022  after receiving ethical clearance from Institutional review Committee (IRC) Peoples dental college on 5th September 2021 (ref no1/ch no 5,2078/2079). About 350 mandibular first molar was selected by convenient sampling. After access preparation, all canal orifices were located and data were recorded. Data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 22.0 with frequency table. Results: Out of 350 patients, the percentage of three canals, four canals and five canals were respectively 273(78%), 76(21.7%) and 1(0.3%). Conclusions: The finding of this study supports the presence of extra canals in mandibular first molar.  Thus, the clinicians require more diagnostic approaches, access modifications, and skills to locate, clean and shape the entire root canal system.