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Taurodontism is a morpho-anatomical developmental anomaly rarely seen in teeth and usually found in association with other anomalies or as a part of syndrome. It is characterised by lack of constriction at the level of cementoenamel junction with elongated pulp chambers and apical displacement of bifurcation or trifurcation of roots. This gives the tooth a rectangular or cylindrical appearance. Endodontic treatment of a taurodont tooth is challenging, because it requires special care in handling and identifying the number of root canals. A case of endodontic treatment of a maxillary fi rst molar with hypertaurodontism not associated with any syndrome is presented.

Dental environment is associated with significant risk of exposure to various microorganisms. Orthodontists are the second highest incidence of hepatitis B among dental professionals. [1] Dental patients and dental health-care workers may be exposed to a variety of microorganisms via blood, oral, and respiratory secretions. This occupational potential for disease transmission become evident initially when one realizes that most human microbial pathogens have been isolated from oral secretions. For the protection of both the doctor and the patient, sterilization techniques are important in preventing the spread of infectious disease. While there have been many studies documenting general dentists' increasing levels of infection control in their practices, [2] there have been few studies documenting the infection control procedures in orthodontic procedures. [3] Orthodontic instruments present special problems, since they have difficulty to clean hinge areas, sharp angles, cutting edges, or pointed ends that can be potentially damaged by corrosion using autoclave sterilizers that use water vapors. An orthodontic molar band and brackets is perhaps the most consistently contaminated part of the orthodontic armamentarium. Not only is it subjected to saliva, but also to microorganisms of the periodontal sulcus and bloodstream.

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