Use of Cone-Beam Computed Tomography in the Diagnosis and Treatment of an Unusual Canine Abnormality

Abstract

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.