Prevalence of apical periodontitis and endodontic treatment in a Kosovar adult population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Despite numerous studies on the prevalence of apical periodontitis (AP) and endodontic treatment in diverse geographical populations, there are currently no data on the prevalence of these conditions in populations of adults native to Kosovo. Therefore, little is known about how widespread these conditions are, and whether there is any correlation between root canal treatment and AP. The purpose of our research was to address this anomaly by investigating AP and endodontic treatment in an adult Kosovar population based on radiographic examination.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The sample used for this study consisted of randomly selected individuals referred to the University Dentistry Clinical Center of Kosovo in the years 2006-2007. Orthopantomographs of 193 patients were evaluated. The periapical status of all teeth (with the exception of third molars) was examined according to Ørstavik's Periapical Index. The quality of the root canal filling was rated as 'adequate' or 'inadequate' based on whether all canals were filled, the depth of fill relative to the radiographic apex and the quality of compaction (absence/presence of voids). Data were analyzed statistically using the Chi-square test and calculation of odds ratios.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Out of 4131 examined teeth, the prevalence of apical periodontitis (AP) and endodontic treatment was 12.3% and 2.3%, respectively. Of 95 endodontically-treated teeth, 46.3% were associated with AP. The prevalence of AP increased with age. The prevalence in subjects aged over 60 years old (20.2%) was higher than in other age groups. A statistically significant difference was found for the frequency of endodontically-treated teeth associated with AP in the 40-49 year age group (P < 0.001). Of some concern was the discovery that only 30.5% of the endodontically-treated teeth examined met the criteria of an acceptable root canal filling. Inadequately root-filled teeth were associated with an increased AP risk.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The prevalence of AP and the frequency of endodontically-treated teeth with AP in this Kosovar population are higher than those found in other countries. Inadequate root canal fillings were associated with an increased prevalence of AP.</p

Decreased arterial compliance assessed by aortic pulse wave velocity is an important parameter for monitoring of blood pressure in patients with chronic inflammatory diseases

Aim. Patients with chronic inflammatory diseases (CID), such as rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) are more likely to have higher risk of cardiac events. Pulse wave velocity (PWV) can be used to measure the aortic dis-tensibility and it is known as inversely related to the arterial compliance. Increased aortic stiffness which is assessed by PWV, is seem to be associated with arterial blood pressure. In this study, we investigated the arterial compliance by PWV in patients with CID including RA and FMF.Material and methods. We studied 25 patients with RA, 33 patients with FMF and 31 healthy subjects without a history of any cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, hyperlipidaemia (89 subjects in total). We measured the arterial compliance by automatic carotid-femoral (aortic) PWV using Complior Colson (France) device. PWV (m/s) = distance (m)/transit time(s).Results. It is seen that, patients with CID have higher carotid-femoral (aortic) PWV (8,76±2,09 vs 8,07±0,94 m/s) compared to control groups (p=0,03). There were significant correlations between PWV and age, body-mass index, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and mean blood pressure. (p&lt;0,001, r=0,65; p&lt;0,001, r=0,36; p&lt;0,001, r=0,42; p&lt;0,001, r=0,46; p&lt;0,001, r=0,48, respectively).Conclusion. Arterial compliance, which is assessed by carotid-femoral (aortic) PWV, is decreased in patients with CID such as RA and FMF when it is compared to healthy control group