Association between agenesis and root morphology of anterior teeth

Abstract Introduction Tooth agenesis is likely to affect the root teeth and should be considerated in orthodontic tratament. Objective The aim of this study was to assess the association between agenesis and root morphology of anterior teeth. Material and method The anterior teeth of 51 individuals were evaluated on 102 periapical radiographs and then divided into three groups: Group 1 (n=16) – no tooth agenesis; Group 2 (n=17) – only third molar agenesis; and Group 3 (n=18) – tooth agenesis of premolars or lateral incisors. Root morphology of anterior teeth was evaluated and the roots were classified as short, blunt, apically bent, and pipette-shaped. Fisher’s exact test was used to compare root shapes, the chi-square test was used to obtain the distribution of sexes between the groups, and ANOVA was performed to compare the ages between the groups. The significance level was set at 5% for all analyses. Result There was significant difference in root shapes (P<0.05) between the groups. Blunt roots were the most prevalent in all groups, but their rate was higher in Group 3 (83%). Conclusion There was association between agenesis and root morphology of anterior teeth.