Prevalence of Chronic Apical Periodontitis Among Patients Referred to the Department of Endodontics at the Kermanshah School of Dentistry (2014-2015)

Abstract

Background. A lot of research has been done on the prevalence of apical periodontitis in different populations, but there is no data on its prevalence in Iranian population, so there is not enough data about this condition and the factors associated with it. Objectives. The current study was aimed to evaluate the prevalence of chronic apical periodontitis among the patients visiting the Department of Endodontics at the Kermanshah School of Dentistry. Material and Methods. This descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out on 595 patients (252 men and 343 women) who were referred to the Kermanshah School of Dentistry in 2014-2015. First, the patients' demographic data was taken using a checklist. Then, an OPG x-ray of each patient was observed carefully and the location of chronic apical periodontitis in the jaws, the history of endodontic treatment, the presence of dental post, adequate and inadequate restorations and periapical index (PAI) were recorded on a checklist. The collected data was analyzed using SPSS-18 software. Results. The prevalence of chronic apical periodontitis was reported to be 4.4, which increased with age. It was higher in men than in women. The most common site of apical periodontitis was the maxilla and the highest incidence was reported for posterior teeth. Conclusions. The findings of the current study indicate a high prevalence of chronic apical periodontitis due to the presence of post and a history of inadequate root canal treatment