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

Cross-sectional evaluation of the periapical status as related to quality of root canal fillings and coronal restorations in a rural adult male population of Turkey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>To determine the prevalence of periapical lesions in root canal-treated teeth in a rural, male adult, Turkish population and to investigate the influence of the quality of root canal fillings on prevalence of periapical lesions.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The sample for this cross-sectional study consisted of 552 adult male patients, 18-32 years of age, presenting consecutively as new patients seeking routine dental care at the Dental Sciences of Gulhane Military Medicine, Ankara. The radiographs of the 1014 root canal-treated teeth were evaluated. The teeth were grouped according to the radiographic quality of the root canal filling and the coronal restoration. The criteria used for the examination were slightly modified from those described by De Moor. Periapical status was assessed by the Periapical Index scores (PAI) proposed by Orstavik.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The overall success rate of root canal treatment was 32.1%. The success rates of adequately root canal treatment were significantly higher than inadequately root canal treatment, regardless of the quality or presence of the coronal restoration (P < .001). In addition, the success rate of inadequate root canal treatment was also significantly affected by the quality of coronal restorations.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our results revealed a high prevalence of periapical lesions in root canal treatment, which is comparable to that reported in other methodologically compatible studies from diverse geographical locations. In addition, the results from the present study confirm the findings of other studies that found the quality of the root canal treatment to be a key factor for prognosis with or without adequate coronal restoration.</p

Variable-resolution cone-beam computerized tomography with enhancement filtration compared with intraoral photostimulable phosphor radiography in detection of transverse root fractures in an in vitro model

Objectives. The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic accuracy of an intraoral photostimulable storage phosphor (PSP) plate system and cone-beam computerized tomography scanning (CBCT) for detection of experimentally induced transverse root fractures and to evaluate differences between original images and images enhanced with high-pass filters. Study design. Sixty-nine extracted human teeth, 34 with root fractures and 35 without, were examined under standardized conditions using an intraoral PSP system (Digora Optime; Soredex). The images were saved in original 8-bit format and in a version sharpened with a high-pass filter. The teeth were examined with CBCT (i-Cat; Imaging Sciences) in 2 resolutions: 0.125 mm and 0.25 mm voxel size. Original images were saved together with images enhanced with 2 high-pass filters, sharpen and angio-sharpen. Six observers scored the presence of a root fracture in all modalities in random order. Sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy [(true positives + true negatives)/all scores] were calculated for each modality and each observer. Differences were estimated by analyzing the binary data, assuming additive effects of observer and modality in a generalized linear model. Results. High-resolution original CBCT images had higher sensitivity (P < .05) than lower-resolution images and PSP images (0.125 mm resolution 87%, 0.25 mm resolution 72%, and PSP 74%). Angio-sharpen-filtered images for both CBCT resolutions had higher sensitivities (P < .02) than the original images (0.125 mm resolution: 95% vs. 87%; 0.25 mm resolution: 81% vs. 72%). There was no significant difference between the lower-resolution CBCT and PSP images. Only small differences in specificity were seen between modalities, and accuracy was higher for high-resolution CBCT than for the other modalities (P < .03). Conclusions. High-resolution i-Cat CBCT images resulted in an increase in sensitivity without jeopardizing specificity for detection of transverse root fractures compared with lower-resolution CBCT images, which were not more accurate than periapical PSP images. The angio-sharpen high-pass filter improved sensitivity in the high-resolution CBCT images in this in vitro model. (Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod 2009; 108: 939-945)108693994

Self‐efficacy of undergraduate dental students in Endodontics within Aarhus and Amsterdam

Aim: To understand whether the self-efficacy of undergraduates is associated with the extent of the endodontic education they received. Methodology: Data were obtained from three undergraduate endodontic programmes in two universities: Aarhus University (AU), Denmark and the Academic Centre for Dentistry Amsterdam (ACTA), the Netherlands. Just before their graduations in 2016 or 2017, students completed a questionnaire that contained the Endodontic General Self-Efficacy Scale and questions on how they valued the education they received in Endodontics. The information on the number and type of root canal treatments participants had performed on patients was collected from dental clinic management systems. Data were ana-lysed using non-parametric tests and multiple regression analyses. Results: The median number of treated root canals on patients per student was 5 in the standard programme at ACTA, 10 in AU, and 14.5 in the extended programme at ACTA. Students’ self-efficacy increased with the number of treated root canals; however, retreatments and root canal treatments in molars were negatively associated with self-efficacy. All students wanted more experience in performing root canal treatment on patients. Conclusions: The endodontic self-efficacy of students from the standard programmes of the two participating universities was comparable. Students’ self-efficacy was influenced mostly by their clinical experience when performing root canal treatment. It seems that the more root canal treatments students perform on patients, the greater their self-efficacy is at graduation. However, treating difficult cases (molars and retreatments) might reduce their self-efficacy