title: Endodontic treatment of a C-shaped mandibular second premolar with four root canals and three apical foramina: a case report.
abstract: This case report describes a unique C-shaped mandibular second premolar with four canals and three apical foramina and its endodontic management with the aid of cone-beam computer tomography (CBCT). C-shaped root canal morphology with four canals was identified under a dental operating microscope. A CBCT scan was taken to evaluate the aberrant root canal anatomy and devise a better instrumentation strategy based on the anatomy. All canals were instrumented to have a 0.05 taper using 1.0 mm step-back filing with appropriate apical sizes determined from the CBCT scan images and filled using a warm vertical compaction technique. A C-shaped mandibular second premolar with multiple canals is an anatomically rare case for clinicians, yet its endodontic treatment may require a careful instrumentation strategy due to the difficulty in disinfecting the canals in the thin root area without compromising the root structure.
authors.affiliation: Division of Endodontics, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Thikamphaa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bertrand
authors.affiliation: Division of Endodontics, Columbia University College of Dental Medicine, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Sahng Gyoon
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Kim
keywords: C-shaped; CBCT; Four canals; Instrumentation; Mandibular second premolar