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

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. © 2017,sultan qaboos university. all rights reserved.