A STUDY ON THE ROOT CANAL MORPHOLOGY OF HUMAN MANDIBULAR THIRD MOLAR WITH TRANSPARENT SPECIMENS

투명표본(透明標本)에 의(依)한 하악제삼구치(下顎第三臼齒)의 근관형태(根管形態)에 관(關)한 연구(硏究)

Ninety four human mandibular third molars were chosen to study the anatomy of the root canal. The experimental teeth were injected with china ink, decalcified, cleared and used in study, in vitro, to determine the number of root, the number of root canals, canals per root, frequency and location of transverse anastomoses, frequency and location of lateral canals and frequency of the apical deltas. The results were as follows: 1. Most of the teeth showed two canals, but 17.0% of the teeth were found to have one canal, 17.0% of them three canals, 3.2% of them four canals and l.1% of them five canals. 2. In so far as observing one canal per root, 17.0% of the teeth were found to have one canal in single-rooted tooth, 48.9% of them in mesial root and 58.5% of them in distal root. 3. In roots with two or three canals, the separated apical foramen appeared in 55.6% in single-rooted tooth, 64.3% in mesial side and 80.0% in distal side, and the common apical foramen appeared in 44.4% in single-rooted tooth, 35.7% in mesial side and 20.0% in distal side. 4. Of the two root canals in one root, 19.1% of the canals were found to have transverse anastomoses and were usually located in the apical third of the root. 5. 63.8% of 94 teeth were found to have lateral canals, and ramifications were mainly located in the apical third of the root.