Correlation between Apical Periodontitis and Endodontic Treatment in a Sialkot Population

Objective: To determine correlation between apical periodontitis and endodontic treatment in a Sialkot population based on radiographic examination. Subjects and methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out in the Department of Operative Dentistry, Islam Medical & Dental College, Sialkot from October 2011-March 2012. The sample used for this study consisted of selected individuals referred from Oral Diagnosis and Radiology Department of Islam Dental Hospital to Endodontic Department. Periapical radiographs of 250 patients were evaluated. The periapical status of teeth was examined according to Orstavik's Periapical Index. The quality of root canal filling was rated as, acceptable. or, unacceptable. based on whether all canals were filled, depth of fill relative to radiographic apex and quality of condensation. Results: Out of 2130 examined teeth, 180(8.45%) had endodontic treatment and 200(9.38%) had periapical lesions. Of 180 endodontically treated teeth, 75(41.66%) had periapical lesions. The prevalence of periapical lesions was found to be significantly high among unacceptable root filled teeth. The prevalence of apical periodontitis in the anterior teeth was 10.0%, compared with 8.79% in posterior teeth. More endodontically treated teeth were found in the posterior region than in the anterior region. A statistically significant difference was found for the frequency of endodontically-treated teeth associated with apical periodontitis in the 40-49 year age group. Conclusions: The prevalence of apical periodontitis and the frequency of endodontically-treated teeth with apical periodontitis in this Sialkot population are found to be high and unacceptable root canal fillings were associated with an increased prevalence of apical periodontitis.