Hospital emergency department visits attributed to pulpal and periapical disease in the United States in 2006.

BACKGROUND: Relatively localized conditions such as infection of the pulp or periapical tissues if left untreated could spread and require hospital care. The objectives of this study were to assess the prevalence of such hospital-based emergency department (ED) visits, to quantify hospital charges associated with those visits, and to identify characteristics of those members of the population who are likely to make such visits. METHODS: The experimental design of this study involves the use of The Nationwide Emergency Department Sample for the year 2006. All discharges with a primary diagnosis code for pulpal and periapical diseases (International Classification of Disease, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] code of 522) were selected for analysis. All estimates were projected to national levels using the discharge weight variables. RESULTS: In the United States, during the year 2006, a total of 403,149 ED visits had a primary diagnosis code for pulp and periapical diseases. The average patient age was 32.9 years. The mean hospital charge for ED visits was $480, and the total charges for all the ED visits in the United States was $163,692,957. Among the ED visits, 5,721 were admitted to the same hospital for inpatient care. The mean length of stay after hospitalization was 2.95 days. The uninsured (39.92%) constituted the largest proportion of all ED visits. CONCLUSIONS: This study identifies high-risk groups that are likely to present to hospital-based EDs for the treatment of pulp and periapical diseases. This highlights the need for significant resources to treat such patients in a hospital care setting.

Root canal retreatment: I. Case assessment and treatment planning.

Root canal retreatment is often the preferred method of treating a tooth in which root canal treatment has failed. Part one of this two-part article discusses reasons for failure of root canal treatment, case assessment and treatment planning. Part two describes some of the practical techniques that are available to the practitioner and the rationale for root canal retreatment.

A clinical radiographic retrospective assessment of the success rate of single-visit root canal treatment.

AIM: To determine retrospectively the clinical and radiographic success rate of single-visit root canal treatment performed in a busy endodontic practice using contemporary techniques of canal cleaning, shaping and obturation. SUMMARY: Seven hundred and sixty-eight single-visit cases, of which 223 presented for a re-examination appointment ranging from 6 months to 4 years from the day of treatment, were considered. Four endodontists provided examinations for both root canal treatment and re-examinations. Clinical and radiographic data were used to form an overall impression of the outcomes for each case at the time of re-examination. Available demographics and treatment information of these 223 cases were compiled for comparison. The number of treatment visits was not determined by a pretreatment diagnosis or a re-assessment of the pulp status upon entry into the tooth; therefore both vital and necrotic cases, as well as those with and without periradicular pathosis, were included. Statistical analysis was carried out using Chi-square tests and considered variations in failure rates based on gender, provider, tooth type, position and arch. A t-test was used to evaluate data on age. The overall success rate was 89.2%. No statistically significant differences were seen based on gender, age, arch or provider. Statistically, anterior teeth were more successful than posterior teeth.

The assessment of the endodontically treated tooth.

This paper reviews the assessment of success and failure following endodontic treatment and highlights the fact that many referrals for specialist management of endodontic failure do not take into consideration established guidelines in this important area.

Endodontic retreatment. Aspects of decision making and clinical outcome.

Epidemiological surveys have reported that 25%-35% of root filled teeth are associated with periapical radiolucencies. Descriptive studies have demonstrated that clinicians' decision making regarding such teeth are subject to substantial variation. A coherent model to explain the observed variation has not been produced. In the present thesis a "Praxis Concept theory" was proposed. The theory suggests that dentists perceive periapical lesions of varying sizes as different stages on a continuous health scale. Interindividual variations can then be regarded as the result of the choice of different cut-off points on the continuum for prescribing retreatment. In the present study experiments among novice and expert decision makers gave evidence in favour of the theory. Data also suggested that the choice of retreatment criterion is affected by values, costs of retreatment and technical quality of original treatment. From a prescriptive point of view, the presence of a persistent periapical radiolucency has often been used as a criterion of endodontic "failure" and as an indication for endodontic retreatment. As an alternative decision strategy, the use of decision analysis has been proposed. Logical display of decision alternatives, values of probabilities, utility values (U-values) of the different outcomes and calculation of optimal decision strategy are features of this theory. The implementation of this approach is impeded by the uncertainty of outcome probabilities and lack of investigations concerning U-values. U-values of two periapical health states in root filled teeth (with and without a periapical lesion respectively) were investigated in a group of 82 dental students and among 16 Swedish endodontists. Two methods were used to elicit U-values: Standard gamble and Visual Analogue Scale. Large interindividual variation for both health states were recorded. The difference in U-values between the two health states was found to be statistically significant regardless of assessment method. Compared with Standard gamble Visual Analogue Scale systematically produced lower ratings. U-values were found to change considerably in both the short and long-term. Any significant correlation between endodontists' U-values and retreatment prescriptions could not be demonstrated. Surgical and nonsurgical retreatment were randomly assigned to 95 "failed" root filled teeth in 92 patients. Cases were followed clinically and radiographically for four years postoperatively. At the 12-month recall a statistically significant higher healing rate was observed for teeth retreated surgically. At the final 48-month recall no systematic difference was detected. Patients were found to be more subject to postoperative discomfort when teeth were retreated surgically compared with nonsurgically. Consequently, surgical retreatment tended to be associated with higher indirect costs than a nonsurgically approach. In the final part of the thesis it is argued that retreatment decision making in everyday clinical practice normally should be based on simple principles. It is suggested that in order to achieve the best overall consequence a periapical lesion in a root filled tooth that is not expected to heal should be retreated. Arguments to withhold retreatment should be based on (i) respect for patient autonomy, (ii) retreatment risks or (iii) retreatment costs.

Recommendations for endodontic referral among practitioners in a dental HMO.

This study assessed the effect of patients' presenting conditions on general practitioners' (GPs') self-reported endodontic referral patterns, and compared GPs' perceived indications for referral with those of endodontists. The study was based on a self-administered, confidential survey distributed to 79 GPs and 7 endodontists who provide care to members of one Dental HMO in the Pacific Northwest. GPs were most likely to recommend referral for teeth they felt needed surgical retreatment, but GPs and endodontists did not always agree on indications for referral. Compared with GPs, endodontists were more likely to recommend referral for patients with complex problems, but not necessarily technically difficult teeth. Compared with those with less experience, GPs with more than 10 yr both in dentistry and at this HMO were more likely to recommend (a) referring difficult cases rather than performing endodontic therapy themselves and (b) extracting perforated or root-fractured teeth prior to obturation rather than continuing treatment. Indications for referral that maximize favorable dental outcomes need to be identified.

Endodontically treated teeth and periapical findings in the elderly.

The radiographic quality of root-canal fillings, the prevalence of periapical findings and their associations with gender and age were investigated in 133 dentate old people living at home (45 males and 88 females, aged 76, 81, and 86 years and who had endodontically treated teeth or periapical lesions. Sixteen per cent of the endodontically treated teeth (n=507) exhibited periapical lesions, compared with 4% for the teeth not endodontically treated (P<0.0001) (chi-square test). Lesions were least prevalent in association with radiographically adequate root canal fillings (10%), and most prevalent in teeth with root canal post perforation (100%). Overfilled root canals and multi-rooted teeth with one or more unfilled roots also showed a high percentage of lesions (19% and 22%, respectively). Men had more periapical lesions than women in endodontically treated teeth (P<0.001, Mann-Whitney U-test), a finding contrary to previous studies in younger subjects. There were no other statistically significant differences between the sexes or age groups, although the percentage of root-filled teeth increased with age.

Assessment of the need for treatment of postendodontic asymptomatic periapical radiolucencies in bone marrow transplant recipients.

Oral screening and treatment of existing oral disease before bone marrow transplantation have been reported to decrease the incidence of infectious complications during bone marrow transplantation. Information about the adverse sequelae of specific preexisting oral diseases during bone marrow transplantation is lacking. The presence of postendodontic periapical radiolucencies may suggest recurrent or latent infection. The purpose of this study was to compare the effect of endodontic treatment with nontreatment of asymptomatic postendodontic periapical radiolucencies on the frequency of infectious oral complications during bone marrow transplantation. The records of 276 patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation examined between July 1988 and June 1991 were reviewed retrospectively. Twenty-three postendodontic periapical radiolucencies were identified in 8 women and 15 men. The mean age of patients was 41 years (range, 25 to 58 years). Fourteen of the lesions were untreated, and nine were treated before bone marrow transplantation. When outcomes of transplant complications were compared, neither increased systemic infection as measured by neutropenic days febrile nor local oral infectious complications were significantly different. These results suggest that nontreatment of asymptomatic postendodontic periapical radiolucencies does not increase the incidence of infectious complications during bone marrow transplantation.

On decision making in endodontics. A study of diagnosis and management of periapical lesions in endodontically treated teeth.

In radiographic evaluation of the results of endodontic therapy the development or persistence of periapical radiolucencies often serve as criterion for therapeutic failure. However, using three endodontists and three oral radiologists as observers the present study found consensus only in 27% of cases classified as having periapical radiolucencies. By applying signal-detection theory to periapical radiographic diagnosis, the variations among observers were explained by their adoption of different criteria of periapical disease resulting in different positions on a receiver-operating-characteristic (ROC) curve. The potential of reducing the interexaminer variation through two different calibration programs was investigated. Even though both methods resulted in increased examiner agreement the benefits seemed limited. It was argued that this is due to the complex structure of the decision making process. Among a group of well-experienced general practitioners substantial variations in attitudes to treatment of periapical lesions in endodontically treated teeth was demonstrated. From decision theory and endodontic teaching paradigms a hypothesis was evolved explaining the variations in treatment with variations in subjective probabilities of disease and expected complications. However, this hypothesis could not be confirmed in groups of endodontists and general practitioners. Instead the decision makers seemed to rely on a limited number of heuristic principles. From a normative point of view clinical management of periapical lesions in endodontically treated teeth was approached by using formal decision analysis. Temporal and logical display of decision alternatives, values of probabilities and utilities of the different outcomes are the features of such an analysis. In the concluding part of the study this method was used to calculate optimal decision strategy for an endodontic recall program. It was demonstrated that patients should be examined one year after endodontic treatment. Patients with signs of periapical disease are reexamined after a further three years. At this moment a mild suspicion of periapical pathosis will lead to retreatment of a tooth.