Periapical status, prevalence and quality of endodontic treatment in an adult French population

Aim The aim of this study was to determine the periapical status and the quality of root-canal treatment amongst an adult population attending the dental school in Nice, France during 1998. Methodology Patients who attended the dental school for the first time during 1998 were included. Panoramic radiographs, taken by a trained radiology assistant, were used in this study. The periapical areas of all teeth with the exception of third molars, were examined and the technical quality of root fillings were evaluated for both apical extension and density. Statistical analyses were conducted using anova, Chi-square, Fisher's PLSD and Cohen's Kappa tests. Results The survey involved 344 patients: 180 females and 164 males. Males had significantly fewer natural remaining teeth than females (P < 0.03). Similarly, the average number of root-filled teeth was lower for males (P < 0.01). Nonroot-filled teeth (n = 6126) had significantly fewer signs of periapical pathology than root-filled teeth (n = 1429) (1.7% vs. 31.5%, P < 0.0001). The majority of root fillings were poorly executed. There was a significant correlation between the presence of periapical pathology and inadequate root-canal fillings (P < 0.001). Conclusions The results of the present study indicate that many root-canal treatments were technically unsatisfactory in terms of quality and treatment outcome. There is a need for endodontic retreatment in the population examined.