VARIATION OF CUSPS AND ROOTS OF UPPER WISDOM TOOTH IN PATIENTS VISITING KHYBER COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY

Objective: To determine the variation of cusps and roots of maxillary 3rd molars. Material and Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 100 extracted 3rd molars. Informed consent was taken from the patients. The teeth with carious lesions and damaged crown were excluded from the study. Data was collected and entered into SPSS for the calculations of percentage and frequencies. Results: A total of 100 maxillary 3rd molars were collected in the department of surgery. Among maxillary 3rd molars most prevalent was tricuspid 44 % and 43% followed by tetracuspids 40% and 16 % of the teeth had five cusps. Only 2% of the third molars had more than five cusps. The most prevalent were fused roots that were 46 %and 68% are followed by two roots and three roots in right and left quadrants respectively. Conclusion: 3rd molars are the most variable teeth in the oral cavity. cusps of the 3rd molars vary from tricuspid to more than 5cusp. Root variation is more than crown variation. Genetic, ethnic and geographical factors affect the morphology of cusps and roots.