title: Endodontic treatment of a maxillary first molar with seven root canals confirmed with cone beam computer tomography - case report.
abstract: The most common configuration of the maxillary first molar is the presence of three roots and four root canals, although the presence of several other configurations have already been reported. The objective of this work is to present a rare anatomic configuration with seven root canals diagnosed during an endodontic therapy. Endodontic treatment was performed using a dental operating microscope. Exploring the grooves surrounding the main canals with ultrasonic troughing was able expose unexpected root canals. Instrumentation with files of smaller sizes and tapers was performed to prevent root physical weakness. The anatomic configuration was confirmed with a Cone Beam Computer Tomography image analysis which was able to clearly show the presence of seven root canals. An electronic database search was conducted to identify all the published similar cases and the best techniques to approach them are discussed.
authors.affiliation: Doctor of Dental Surgery, University of Lisbon (POR), Inter PG Endodontics at New York University (USA) . Certified member of European Society of Endodontology, Department of Endodontics of Instituto de Implantologia, Lisbon (POR).
authors.forename: Jorge N R
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Martins
keywords: Anatomy; Cone beam computer tomography; Molar; Root canal therapy