Frequency of cusp of carabelli in orthodontic patients reporting to Islamabad Dental Hospital

Abstract

Introduction: Anatomic variation in the anatomy of maxillary molars can have clinical implications in dentistry ranging from predisposition to dental caries or loosely fitting orthodontic bands. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of cusp of carabelli in permanent first molars of patients reporting to the Orthodontic department.

Material and Methods: A total of 698 patients reporting to the Orthodontic Department, Islamabad Dental Hospital, were evaluated from their orthodontic records. Upper occlusal photographs and dental casts of these patients comprised the data.

Results: 245 (35.1%) patients showed the presence of the cusp while 453 (64.9%) had no accessory cusp present. Larger proportion of females had cusp of carabelli when compared with males. Bilateralism was found in 75.1% subjects while unilateralism existed in 24.9%, both being higher in females. Among the unilateral cases, higher trend was observed on the right side then the left.

Conclusions: It was concluded that the frequency of cusp of carabelli was less in a population sample of Islamabad than other Asian samples, but an opposite trend was seen when compared to a population sample of Khyber Phukhtunkhwa showing different prevalence rates in different ethnicities.