The maxillary casts of 320 Malaysian children were examined for the occurrence of the Carabelli trait on the maxillary first permanent molars. The total trait frequency was observed to be 52.2 per cent. Statistical analysis showed no sex dimorphism in the occurrence of the trait. Bilateral occurrence with a tendency towards concordance of expression between sides was also observed.
This case report describes the management of a mandibular first molar with an additional distolingual root (radix entomolaris) and grade III cervical enamel projection through a multidisciplinary approach. Diagnosis for the case was endodontic-periodontal lesion due to non-vitality and associated advanced periodontal destruction. The patient was treated with drainage of the periodontal abscess with adjunct antibiotics, phase I periodontal therapy, endodontic therapy, radiculoplasty, regenerative periodontal therapy, replacement of the missing right mandibular second molar, and long-term maintenance. Follow-up of the patient up to 9 months has been uneventful. Cases of advanced periodontal destruction typically show some degree of tooth mobility, which was absent in this case. The article discusses the tripod effect as well as the increased surface area for periodontal attachment provided by the additional root contributing to the non-mobility of the involved tooth.
This study was conducted to determine the prevalence of pre-eruptive intracoronal dentin defects from panoramic radiographs from a group of children and young adults aged 20 years and below. The radiolucent lesions were noted with regard to which teeth were affected, the location of the defects and the size of the defects relative to the width of dentin. Out of 1007 radiographs examined, 275 (27.3%) have pre-eruptive dentin defects. The prevalence of anomaly among males was 28.4% as compared to 26.2% among females. However, the difference between genders was not significant, thus subsequent results have been combined. Of 275 subjects with dentin radiolucencies, 243 subjects (88.7%) had only one affected tooth, 30 subjects (10.9%) had two teeth affected and 2 subjects (0.7%) had three affected teeth. The tooth prevalence of the anomaly was 2.1% and most of the lesions occurred as a single occurrence on the affected tooth. Within each tooth type, the highest tooth prevalence of intracoronal dentin defect was found in the upper first premolar (5.1%). More than half of the lesions extended less than 1/3 of the width of the dentin thickness. The high prevalence of the condition indicates the need for increased awareness and recognition of this during radiographic examination of teeth in the pediatric age group in early pre-eruptive stages so that early detection and diagnosis can be made and treatment can be done at the most appropriate time.