Radiographic Diagnosis of Periapical Status and Quality of Root Canal Fillings in a Saudi Arabian Subpopulation.

PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence of apical periodontitis (AP), as determined by orthopantomograms (OPGs), and its correlation with the quality of root fillings and coronal restorations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study evaluated a random sample of 193 patients--112 (58%) females and 81 (42%) males--who presented as new patients at the Division of Endodontics. Digital OPGs were independently examined by two reliability-calibrated endodontists. The total number of teeth present, the location of the root canalfilled teeth, and the presence or absence of AP were recorded for each radiograph. The results were statistically analysed using the chi-square test followed by model building using multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: A total of 324 endodontically treated teeth from the 193 selected radiographs were analysed. The mean number of teeth per patient was 25.5 ± 4.6, with an average of 1.64 root canal treatments per subject. Radiographically detected AP was associated with 190 (58.6%) root canal-treated teeth. The logistic model shows that the quality of endodontic treatment (adjusted odds ratio [ORa] = 1.82; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.40-3.17), status of coronal restoration (ORa = 1.77; 95% CI: 1.20-2.61) and the type of material used for coronal restorations (ORa = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.03-1.87) were significantly related to the periapical health of the teeth. CONCLUSIONS: The quality of endodontic treatment, status of coronal restoration and the type of coronal restorative material were found to be the most important factors influencing the health of periradicular tissue.

Connective tissue-cementum regeneration: a new histologic regeneration following the use of enamel matrix derivative in dehiscence-type defects. A dog model.

The goal of this investigation was to evaluate histologically and histometrically the healing process in dehiscence-type defects treated by enamel matrix derivative (EMD). Five adult female beagle dogs were used. Buccal osseous dehiscences were surgically created on the maxillary canines and the second and fourth premolars. Thirty defect sites were randomly assigned to treatment and control groups (15 defect sites for each group). The treatment group received EMD application, while the control groups received no EMD. After 4 months of healing, the dogs were sacrificed and tissue blocks were prepared. Histometric parameters were employed to evaluate the type of periodontal tissues that formed in the defects. All created dehiscence defects in the test sites treated by EMD had formed functional connective tissue fibers inserted into regenerated cellular cementum. The mean amount of apicocoronal regenerated cementum was 3.74 +/- 0.43 mm in EMD- treated sites, whereas the control sites had not formed cementum in the created dehiscence defects (P < .000). Statistically significant differences were found between treatment and control sites. Within the limits of this study, it can be concluded that EMD alone effectively promoted new cementum and functionally oriented connective tissue formation.