Root canal anatomy illustrated by microcomputed tomography and clinical cases.

This study was designed to illustrate root anatomy by using microcomputed tomography and radiographs. Fresh human extracted teeth were selected randomly and prepared for scanning by a microscopic scanner. Each tooth was scanned at intervals of 0.9 degrees until it had been rotated 180 degrees. Data collected were used to generate cross-sectional images and three-dimensional tooth anatomy. Radiographs of completed endodontic cases that showed significant root canal anatomy also were collected and evaluated. Microcomputed tomographic scans showed that the main root canals branched out to finer branches and ended in multiple portals of exit. Intercommunication existed between the main and accessory canals. Apical exits of delta configuration were not common. Similar findings were evident in radiographs of the clinical cases. Both microcomputed tomographic scans and radiographs of completed clinical cases depicted similar complex root canal anatomy. This indicates that with an understanding of the anatomy, complex root canal systems can be cleaned, shaped, and obturated.