ABSTRACT

The main objective of a successful endodontic therapy is the hermetic obturation of the root canal system till the apical constriction. In order to accomplish this, a good knowledge of the morphology of the root canals is essential. Due to various factors, one of which is ethnical, a number of discrepancies can be seen in the root canals. Factors like different types of root canals, transverse anasthomosis, lateral canals, locations of the apical delta and the apical foramen have major influences on the final outcome of endodontic therapy.

In our study, a total of recently extracted 1400 Turkish male permanent teeth, 700 mandibular and 700 maxillary were used. Firstly, the teeth were divided into two groups as mandibular and maxillary, then each group was divided into seven groups as central incisor, lateral incisor, canine, first premolars, second premolars, first molars and second molars. Following the classification root canal morphology of the teeth were evaluated.

The data obtained in this research, concerning the morphological characteristics of the Turkish population were consistent with the results of other studies performed in different populations, except for one study, which utilized the same classification and methodology.