1992 Volume 13 Issue 1 Pages 7-15
It has been reported that maxillary lateral incisors had poor prognosis after the root canal treatment and periapical lesions in maxillary lateral incisors were frequently developed. To confirm previous reports and reveal factors which influence the prognosis of maxillary lateral incisors, an epidemiological study was done. Central (3,424 teeth) and lateral (3,662 teeth) incisors and canines (3,557 teeth) of maxilla were investigated. The status of canal obturation, the canal shape and the condition of periapical region were radiographically examined. Other 189 maxillary lateral incisors treated in our hospital had been radiographically observed for more than three months after root canal treatments. The lateral incisors have the highest frequency of periapical lesion in maxillary anterior teeth. The frequency does not directly correlate to the status of canal obturation. The root curvature found in lateral incisors at the highest rate is one of the factors which makes the root canal treatment difficult and induce the poor prognosis of lateral incisors. The anatomical complexity or variation of root canals and periapical tissues of lateral incisors, which could not be evaluated in a radiographical study, must be considered as the causes of prolonged course after root canal treatments.
