Variation in fused molar roots in dogs

Front Vet Sci 2023

December 21, 2023

Background: Rot fusion in canine maxillary second molar teeth is an anatomic variant which can be assessed using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT).

Study: The study aimed to describe and document the root morphology of the right and left maxillary second molar teeth in dogs of different weight categories, skull types, and sexes using CBCT.

Methods: The study randomly selected 180 dog CBCT scans from a dental specialty referral practice and analyzed the root morphology of 360 maxillary second molar teeth using the classification of Marcano-Caldera et al. (2019).

Results: The study found that 65% of maxillary second molar teeth had some type of root fusion, with the only configuration being fusion of the distobuccal root with the palatal root. The most common root morphology was partial fusion (49%). There was no significant difference between weight groups and root morphology, nor between sexes and root morphology. There was a significant difference between skull types and root morphology at the right maxillary second molar tooth, but not at the left one.

Limitations: The study had a low number of dolichocephalic skulls, which may have affected the statistical power to find a difference between skull types. The study also did not investigate the genetic or environmental factors that may influence root fusion.

Conclusions: The study established a high prevalence of root fusion in maxillary second molar teeth in dogs, which has implications for exodontic and endodontic procedures. CBCT can help clinicians to more accurately assess a dog’s anatomy and plan for treatment.

Examples of the different types of root morphology of the left maxillary second molar tooth as visualized on CBCT (frontal view): separate roots (A), partial fusion (B), complete fusion (C).

How did we do?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

Disclaimer: The summary generated in this email was created by an AI large language model. Therefore errors may occur. Reading the article is the best way to understand the scholarly work. The figure presented here remains the property of the publisher or author and subject to the applicable copyright agreement. It is reproduced here as an educational work. If you have any questions or concerns about the work presented here, reply to this email.