Morphologic characteristics of root canal of mandibular incisors in North-East Indian population: An in vitro study

AIM: To aim of this study is to investigate the root canal characteristics of mandibular incisors in a North East Indian population using a canal staining and tooth-clearing technique. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Four hundred and eighty extracted mandibular incisors, collected from dental clinics within North East India were selected for this study. Following pulp tissue removal, the teeth were decalcified with 5% nitric acid, dehydrated with ascending concentrations of alcohol and rendered clear by immersion in methyl salicylate. After staining of the canal systems with India ink, cleared teeth were examined under 5X magnification and the following features were evaluated: (i) number and type of root canals; (ii) presence and location of lateral canals and intercanal communications; (iii) location of apical foramina; and, (iv) Bifurcation of canals. RESULTS: The majority of mandibular incisors had a single canal (63.75% of teeth possessed a Type I canal system). Although 36.25% of the roots possessed two canals, only 6.25% had two separate apical foramina. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of two canals in this group (of North East Indians) of mandibular incisors was 36.25% and is within the range of previous studies performed on populations of different racial origin.