Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2023 Jan-Feb;34(1):132-138.
doi: 10.1590/0103-6440202304817.

Clinical identification and endodontic management of furcation canals: a case series

Pierre Kuoch  1   2 , Martin Biosse Duplan  1   3 , Fleur Berès  1   3 , Éric Bonte  1   3 , Cauris Couvrechel  2
Affiliations

Clinical identification and endodontic management of furcation canals: a case series

Pierre Kuoch et al. Braz Dent J. 2023 Jan-Feb.

Abstract

In the case of endodontic infection, the presence of furcation canals can be at the origin of a periodontal lesion located in the furcation. The furcation being very close to the marginal periodontium, this type of lesion can be favorable to the genesis of an endo-periodontal lesion. These furcation canals are lateral canals located on the pulp chamber floor and constitute one of the many physiological communication pathways between endodontic and periodontal tissues. These canals are most often difficult to localize, shape, and to fill because of their small diameter and length. The disinfection of the pulp chamber floor with sodium hypochlorite solution may contribute to the disinfection of furcation canals when they are not identified, shaped, and/or filled. This case series illustrates the endodontic management of visible furcation canals associated with an endo-periodontal lesion. These furcation canals had a large diameter which allowed their identification during the endodontic treatment.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. (A) Preoperative intraoral X-Ray focused on tooth #47; (B) Furcation canal foramen indicated by the arrow; (C) Furcation canal after K 06 file in situ; (D) Endodontic filling of the mesiobuccal, mesiolingual, distal, and furcation canals; (E) Postoperative intraoral X-Ray focused on tooth #47. Endo-restorative continuum implemented with a resin composite-build up in the access cavity; (F) Intraoral X-Ray at 3 months postoperative. (G) Intraoral X-Ray at 8 months postoperative; (H) Intraoral X-Ray at 12 months postoperative. Healing of periapical and furcation lesions.
Figure 2
Figure 2. (A) Preoperative intraoral X-Ray focused on tooth #47; (B) Furcation canal foramen indicated by the arrow; (C) #06 K-file instrument inserted into the furcation canal; (D) Endodontic filling of the mesiobuccal, mesiolingual, distal and furcation canals; (E) Postoperative intraoral X-Ray focused on tooth #47; (F) X-Ray at 12 months postoperative: healing of periapical and furcation lesions.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Tavares PB, Bonte E, Boukpessi T, Siqueira JF, Jr, Lasfargues JJ. Prevalence of apical periodontitis in root canal-treated teeth from an urban French population: influence of the quality of root canal fillings and coronal restorations. J Endod. 2009;35(6):810–813. - PubMed
    1. Wolcott J, Ishley D, Kennedy W, Johnson S, Minnich S. Clinical investigation of second mesiobuccal canals in endodontically treated and retreated maxillary molars. J Endod. 2002;28(6):477–479. - PubMed
    1. Seltzer S, Bender IB, Ziontz M. The interrelationship of pulp and periodontal disease. Oral Surgery, Oral Medicine, Oral Pathology. 1963;16(12):1474–1490. - PubMed
    1. Barrett M. The internal anatomy of the teeth with special reference to the pulp with its branches. Dental Cosmos. 1925;67:581–592.
    1. Rotstein I, Simon JHS. Diagnosis, prognosis and decision-making in the treatment of combined periodontal-endodontic lesions. Periodontol. 2004;34(1):165–203. 2000. - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources