Taurodontism in maxillary and mandibular molars using cone beam computed tomography in a dental center in Saudi Arabia

BACKGROUND: Taurodontism is a dental anomaly characterized by altered crown root ratio that is often diagnosed by radiographic evaluation. A three-dimensional cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) can aid in the diagnosis and treatment of taurodontic teeth. Only one study has reported the prevalence of taurodontism in a Saudi population. OBJECTIVE: Determine prevalence and other characteristics of taurodontism in permanent maxillary and mandibular molars, by CBCT in a dental center in Saudi Arabia. DESIGN: Cross-sectional. SETTING: College of dentistry. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The first and second molars, maxillary and mandibular, from study participants of Saudi origin from Jazan region of Saudi Arabia were evaluated for taurodontism based on the criteria of Shifman and Chanannel. The degree of taurodontism was determined by the taurodontism index. Results were tabulated for analysis and the chi-square test was applied for the differences between age groups, genders, and maxillary and mandibular teeth. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Characteristics of taurodontism. SAMPLE SIZE: 1839 teeth in 300 individuals. RESULTS: Taurodontism was seen in 24 (8%) of the study participants and in 71 teeth (3.9%). Taurodontism was significantly more prevalent in individuals between 21 and 40 years of age. Hypotaurodontism (67.6%, n=48) was most prevalent, followed by mesotaurodontism (23.9%, n=17) and hypertaurodontism (8.5%, n=6). The maxillary molars were more commonly involved than mandibular, but the results were not statistically significant. No significant differences in gender were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Dental clinicians should be familiar with the condition due to the clinical implications in oral surgery, endodontics and prosthodontics. The possibilities of a complex root canal system, an additional canal, difficulties in canal negotiation, instrumentation and subsequent obturation can be challenging for the clinician. LIMITATIONS: Conducted in a single dental center hence future studies with larger sample sizes in different regions of Saudi Arabia should be conducted to more accurately measure the prevalence. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST: None.