87 Saudi Endodontic Journal • May-Aug 2014 • Vol 4 • Issue 2 Address for correspondence: Dr. Jojo Kottoor, Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Mar Baselios Dental College, Kothamangalam, Ernakulam, Kerala - 686691, India. E-mail: drkottoor@gmail.com A maxillary first molar with six root canals Ranjith Karaththodiyil, Jojo Kottoor, Joy Mathew, Saira George, Jain Mathew Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Mar Baselios Dental College, Kothamangalam, Kochi, Kerala, India INTRODUCTION T he goal of root canal treatment is to clean the root canal system as thoroughly as possible and to fill it in all its dimensions. [1] It is of the utmost importance that the clinician be familiar with root canal anatomy in order to satisfactorily eliminate all pulp tissue during treatment. Several anatomical variations existing in the root canal system may contribute to failure of root canal therapy. To achieve clinical success, the correct location, cleaning and shaping, and obturation of all canals are mandatory. [1] The root canal anatomy of maxillary first molars has been described as 3 roots with 3 canals and the commonest variation is the presence of a second mesiobuccal canal. [1] Numerous case reports are documented with a wide variation in both root and root canal anatomy. The variations in root form include single root, fused buccal roots, three buccal roots, and two palatal roots. [2,3] Patterns of root canal configuration are diverse ranging from one, two, five, six, C ’ -shapedand sevenroot canal systems. [4,5] Recently, Kottoor et al., [6] reported the endodontic management of a maxillary first molar with eight root canal systems. The present case report describes the endodontic management of a maxillary first molar with six root canal systems. CASE REPORT A 26-year-old male patient reported to the postgraduate clinic of the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Mar Baselios Dental College, Kochi, India, with a chief complaint of pain in upper right posterior teeth. On examination, a deep carious lesion was observed in the maxillary right second premolar and first molar (tooth #15 and #16). The teeth were tender to percussion and mobility was within physiological limits. Pulp sensibllity testing of the involved teeth with heated gutta-percha (DentsplyMaillefer, Ballaigues, Switzerland) and Dry Ice (R C Ice; Prime Dental Products Pvt. Ltd, Mumbai, India) Access this article online Quick Response Code: Website: www.saudiendodj.com DOI: 10.4103/1658-5984.132729 ABSTRACT The purpose of this article is to describe a clinical case of a maxillary first molar with three roots and six root canals.The clinical detection of the six canals was made using a dental operating microscope and confirmed using multiple angled radiographs.This report serves to remind clinicians that such anatomical variations should be taken into account during endodontic treatment of the maxillary molars. Key words: Maxillary first molar, root canal nomenclature, root canal anatomy, tooth morphology, six root canals Cas ase Report eport [Downloaded free from http://www.saudiendodj.com on Monday, May 19, 2014, IP: 117.217.239.34] || Click here to download free Android application for this journa