Endodontic Working Length of Upper Premolars in a Sri Lankan Population

In order to achieve a successful endodontic treatment knowledge of the exact root canal length is of paramount importance. Although premolars are at a high risk of caries there is minimal research done on the working lengths of premolars. The study aimed to estimate the average endodontic working length of upper premolars in Sri Lankan patients in the context of no previous studies done in Sri Lanka. This was a cross-sectional study on 240 maxillary premolars in 208 patients, who attended the Restorative Unit B, in the Institute of Oral Health, Maharagama. The working lengths were assessed with the combination of the radiographical method and by using the apex locator. The results were presented using descriptive statistical measures. The majority of the study sample was 2nd premolars (136, 57%). Furthermore, the majority of maxillary premolars had two canals (214, 89.1%). The mean working length for 1st maxillary premolars is 19.74 (SD= 1.29). The 2nd premolar with 2 canals has a mean working length of 20.43 (SD=1.75), whereas the 2nd premolar with 1 canal has a mean working length of 20.07 (SD= 1.41). These findings could be considered as the baseline and carry out similar studies more comprehensively in other populations.