Periapical Health Related to the Quality of Coronal Restorations and Root Fillings in a Turkish Population

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the quality of root canal treatments and coronal restorations investigating their influence on the periapical status of endodontically-treated teeth in a Turkish population based on radiographic examination.

Materials and Methods: The study included 583 patients referred for routine dental care. A total of 1125 endodontically treated teeth were examined with panoramic radiographs. The quality of root canal fillings and coronal restorations were evaluated according to the criteria determined by Gündüz et al., which were slightly modified from those described by De Moor et al. Apical status was assessed by the Periapical Index (PAI) scores.

Results: Out of 1125 endodontically treated teeth, 539 were classified as healthy and 586 as displaying apical periodontitis. Of these 539 subjects, 389 teeth had received quality endodontic treatment. Of 586 teeth with apical periodontitis, 500 had poor endodontic treatment. Four hundred and seventy-five teeth had adequate root canal fillings. Of these teeth, 389 were classified as healthy. Of the 666 teeth with adequate restoration, apical region was classified as healthy for 410 subjects. For the 388 teeth with both adequate coronal restorations and root canal fillings, the success rate was 85.3%. For the 372 teeth with both inadequate coronal restorations and root canal fillings, the success rate was 18.8%.

Conclusions: The quality of root fillings in the population living in the back country of Turkey is in general below the acceptable standard and requires substantial improvement.