Relationship Between Root Trunk Types and Periodontal Attachment Loss in Taiwanese’s Molars Affected with Class III Furcation Involvements

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between root trunk types (RTT) and periodontal attachment loss (PAL) on molars affected with Class III furcation involvement (FI). The extracted teeth (169) of maxillary (103) and mandibular (66) molars in individuals affected severe advanced periodontitis were diagnosed as molars with Class III FI and alveolar bone loss ≧70%. The clinical records include patient’s age, gender, degree of FIs and vertical dimensions of root trunk types (RTT), molar location, furcation site, and number of extracted molars. The assessments of the PAL and RTT of the extracted molars were taken under a stereomicroscope equipped with micrometer scale. Collected data were analysed using the chi-square test and one-way ANOVA. Results showed that significant relationships between PALs and 1) prevalence of molar location (p<0.001); 2) RTTs (f=4.32, p<0.05); 3) molar types; and 4) furcation surfaces (p<0.05). It was concluded that the prevalence of the molar extraction affected with the Class III molar FI is associated with increasing length of root trunk and PAL.