Difference in Root Canal Length between Populations

Introduction: The objective of the study was to make the comparison of the root canal length of different types of teeth in black-Africans (Bantu) to that of Caucasians and Asians. Materials and Methods: Data from a prospective cross-sectional study of Bantu (Black Africans) subjects aged from 18 to 45 years who were admitted in Service of Conservative Dentistry of Kinshasa University, root canal length were compared with already published data from studies involving Caucasians and Asians. Results: This study includes 720 subjects; 480 (66%) were female and 240 (34%) were male. A total of 818 teeth were examined with 1539 root canals. The upper central incisor and the lower first molar predominated respectively in the maxilla and the mandible regions. There is a significant difference between the canal length of Bantu and Asians in the palatal canal of the upper second molar by 3.1 mm (p= 0.00). Eight different canals of Bantu were longer as compared to a single canal for Asians (p <0.05). This include the Vestibular (V) and palatine (P) canals of Bantu the first premolar (PM1 ), palatal of the second premolar (PM2 ), mesio-vestibular (MV), disto-vestibular (DV) and palatine (P) of the first molar (M1 ) mesio-vestibular and palatal of the second molar (M2 ). The lateral incisors (IL) (p= 0,01) and the canines (p= 0.12) of the Asians were longer than that of the Bantu. The Caucasians presented with longer canines than Bantu with a length difference of 1.7 mm (p= 0.11). Four Caucasians also presented with longer canals of the Mesio-Vestibular (MV) and mesiolingual (ML) of the two molars (M1 and M2 ) as compared to one for Bantu are the longest (p <0.05). Exceptionally, the distal canal (D) of the second molar (M2 ) of the Bantu was longer than that of the Caucasians, with a length difference of 1.5 mm. Conclusion: The root canal length of Bantu is between than those of the most Asian and shortest Caucasian.