Prevalence of additional canals in maxillary first molar in a Nepalese population: A Clinical Study

Ackground and aims: There is a wide range of variations in the literature with respect to frequency of occurrence of the number of canals in each root, the number of roots and incidence of fusion. This study aims to investigate the prevalence of additional canals in permanent maxillary first molar in the Nepalese Population. Methods: This was a descriptive study in which maxillary first permanent molars (n-201) of Nepalese population were examined using in vivo technique. Radio-graphs were taken. Access opening was done and gentle troughing of the pulpal floor was done, to look for additional canal. Results: A total of 201 patients were treated. Of these, additional canals in me-siobuccal root was found in 34.1% of the cases and in distobuccal and palatal root, the additional canals were found in 0.49% of the cases. Conclusions: Complete knowledge of the internal anatomy and anatomic varia-tion of root canal system is crucial for the success of the root canal treatment, as missed canals contribute to the failure of root canal treatment in a short dura-tion.