Use of cone-beam computed tomography in the diagnosis and treatment of an unusual canine abnormality

Abstract EN

Diagnosis and treatment planning are important for successful endodontic treatment.

We report a 24-year old male who presented to the Government Dental College in Kozhikode, Kerala, India, in 2015 with pain in his right upper canine.

A digital periapical radiograph indicated the presence of a supernumerary tooth superimposing the root of the canine.

However, cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) confirmed that the supernumerary tooth was an illusion and that the canine root had a sharp invagination involving the labial and pulpal dentin surfaces, with evidence of periapical bone destruction.

A blunt resection was performed at the level of the invagination and the resected end was filled with a dentin substitute.

At a one-year follow-up, the patient was asymptomatic and the periapical region appeared to be healing well.

This report highlights the importance of CBCT in visualising abnormal canine morphology, thus allowing appropriate endodontic treatment