Effect of molar root fusion on radiographic bone loss

ABSTRACT

The aim of this investigation was to verify if there was an association between root fusion in molars and radiographic interproximal bone loss. Intra-oral radiographs of 810 molars from 102 subjects were obtained. All radiographs were taken by the same operator under standardized conditions. A 0.5 cm orthodontic wire was fixed tho the film to allow correction for distortion. Fused molars (FM) were compared to non-fused molars (NFM) with regard to the root length, the distance from the cementum-enamel junction to the alveolar bone crest and the bone loss percentage. The measurements were performed by two calibrated investigators. The prevalence of root fusion was 18.64%. Fifty-nine individuals (57.8%) presented at least one fused molar, which was compared to NFM from the same individuals. There was no significant difference between fused and non-fused molars according to the mean root length, the distance from cementum-enamel junction to alveolar bone crest and the bone loss percentage. The authors concluded that molars with radiographic evidence for root fusion do not exhibit more interproximal bone loss than NFM