Working Length Determination During Pulpectomy In Primary Molars - An Institutional Radiographic Analysis

Abstract

Introduction : Endodontic working length determination requires an understanding of anatomy, the degree of root curvature, and the
interaction between the tooth and its surrounding structures. Endodontic instruments may penetrate beyond the apical foramen due to errors in determining the tooth length, resulting in extravasation of irrigating solutions and restorative material into the periradicular tissues. Root canal instrumentation in primary teeth is risky because it can harm the tooth germ of the permanent tooth. The aim of this study is to analyse the working length determination in primary molars during pulpectomy.
Materials and methods : The case sheet records (DIAS data) of Pulpectomy in Primary molars were extracted. The data were analysed and transferred to MS Excel. Descriptive statistics (Percentage , Mean , Standard deviation) and Inferential test (Chi square test) were performed.
Results : Among the 1844 patients who underwent pulpectomy , 29.5 % of males and 20% of females have a working length of 11-15 mm. Most common working length in primary molars is 11-15 mm irrespective of quadrant (teeth number) and age. 20% of males and 15.6% of females had undergone pulpectomy in quadrant 4 followed by quadrant 3.
Conclusion : Within the limitations of the study, we can conclude that there was no statistical significance found between age and working length, gender and working length, tooth number and working length. Working length of 11 to 15 mm was more prevalent than working length less than 10