Variations in Canal Morphology, Shapes, and Positions of Major Foramen in Maxillary and Mandibular Teeth.

CONTEXT AND AIM: A plethora of studies have revealed that there is a lack of general consensus in the precise anatomic detailing of the canals and the major foramen in both the maxillary and mandibular teeth while emphasizing the significance of the same for a successful endodontic treatment. The aim of the present study was to determine the variations in canal morphology, shapes, and positions of major foramen in maxillary and mandibular teeth. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In the present study, 420 extracted human maxillary and mandibular teeth with completely formed apices were included. The specimens were cleaned for surface debris including remnants of periodontal tissue and were stored in saline. Examination of the apices was performed with the help of stereomicroscope for their exact shapes and configurations and precise anatomic location. Comparison of different parameters within the group was done using Chi-square test while P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The results of the present study indicated that apical foramen in mandibular teeth showed higher degree of deviation with a prevalence of 70.2% while flat shape of apical foramen was observed only in maxillary teeth. Furthermore, maximum deviation in maxillary teeth was recorded in the canines with a prevalence of 90% while, in mandibular teeth, maximum deviation was recorded with mandibular second premolars with a prevalence of 79.12%. CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study revealed that deviation of apical foramen from the root apex was seen in 68.2% of the specimens. Furthermore, deviation was greater in the mandibular than the maxillary teeth.

Prevalence of Color Vision Anomalies among Dental Professionals.

PURPOSE: Color blindness is one of the potential disabilities affecting the ability of color perception by the eye. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of color blindness among dental professionals. METHODS: For the present study, a total of 198 dental professionals were randomly selected as subjects who were asked to fill the required questionnaire followed by which their color vision status was evaluated using the Ishihara test. The results obtained were subjected to statistical analysis. Statistical analysis was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 17.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, IL, USA). The prevalence of color blindness, age specificity, and the ratio of the occurrence of color blindness in relation to gender were assessed using Chi-square test for independence and Chi-square test with Yates's correction for independence when the expected frequency was <5. P < 0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The present study reported 3.54% prevalence of color blindness among the study population. A higher number of cases were reported from males (9.26%) than females (1.39%). (P < 0.05) Furthermore, the prevalence of color blindness was found to be more in faculty members (5.88%) than in students with a reported prevalence of 3.31%. CONCLUSION: The present study reported high prevalence of color blindness in dental professionals while they were totally unaware of it.