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Endodontics · single question

Which of the following teeth is LEAST likely to have a second canal?

  1. Mandibular central incisor
  2. Maxillary first premolar
  3. Maxillary lateral incisor
  4. Mandibular first molar
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Correct answer: C. Maxillary lateral incisor

  • A. Mandibular incisors have a second (lingual) canal in roughly 40% of cases — a very commonly missed canal, which is why an off-angle radiograph is essential.
  • B. The maxillary first premolar has two canals in roughly 80–85% of cases, and occasionally three.
  • C. Correct. The MAXILLARY LATERAL INCISOR has a single canal in approximately 98–100% of cases — the most consistently single-canalled tooth in the mouth. Its notable anatomical quirks are a distal and palatal curve at the apex and the risk of a palatogingival groove, not canal multiplicity.
  • D. The mandibular first molar routinely has three canals and frequently four, with a second distal canal in about 30%.

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