PATTERN AND PREVALENCE OF C-SHAPED CANAL IN MANDIBULAR SECOND MOLARS IN PATIENTS ATTENDING SAIDU COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY SWAT, USING CONE BEAM COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY.

Objectives: To determine the types and prevalence of C-shape canal in lower second molars in patients attending Saidu College of Dentistry Swat, using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT).Materials and Methods: A total of 200 CBCT images of patients with age range 15 to 60 years, both genders, local residents and clear images having lower second molar area with complete anatomy were included. Images with incomplete root formation, presence of root canal fi llings, deep caries, open apices, and root calcifi cation in lower second molars were excluded. Presence and type of C-shape canal in mandibular second molar along with gender and age of the participants were recorded. Classifi cation of C-shaped canal was done according to Fan et al. Descriptive statistics were calculated. Presence and type of C-shaped canal were stratifi ed among genders to see eff ect modifi ers using Fischer exact test.Results: The mean age of the participants was 32.26 ±8.84 years. The males were 116(58%) and females were 84(42%). The C-shaped canal was present in 16(8.0%) participants. The pattern of C-shaped canal showed that C1 was present in 6(37.5%), both C2 and C3 in 4(25%) and C4 in 2 (12.5%) participants.Conclusion: In mandibular second molars the occurrence of C-shaped canal is relatively common and the most common type of C-shaped canal is C1 and C2.