Method: Fifty (50) upper canines were selected from a Human Teeth Bank. The teeth were classified according to their side, right or left, and the root curvature direction and apical foramen localization were also verified. Periapicals radiographs and CBCT images were obtained from the specimens, in which it was verified the radicular canals number. With a digital pachymeter, the teeth length, the radicular mesiodistal and buccal-palatine width from the specimens and images were measured. The results were statistically compared through Chi-square and ANOVA tests (α=0.05).
Result: Twenty-six (26) teeth (52%) belonged to the right side and twenty-four (24) teeth (48%) belonged to the left side of the dental arcade. Within all the specimens only one main canal was verified. The apical foramen was situated exactly in the radicular apex in thirty-four (34) of the cases (68%), and in twenty-three (23) teeth (46%) it was observed apical to distal curvature, without statistical differences regarding the belonging side (p=0,104 and p=0,215, respectively). There weren’t significant statistical differences to the length (p=0,669) and the mesiodistal (p=0,517) and buccal-palatine (p=0,672) widths found in the specimens and images.
Conclusion: For Endodontics, the periapical radiograph is still an indispensable exam due to its low cost, quick and convenient access, besides its reliability, for, when well-executed, it gives results actually close to the real and CBCT images.