Periapical Status of Non-Root-Filled Teeth With Amalgam, Composite, or Crown Restorations: A Cross-Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to evaluate the periapical status (PAS) of restored non-root-filled (RNRF) teeth amongst a group of patients attending dental teaching clinics at Jordan University of Science & Technology. It also aimed to assess the association of type and quality of coronal restorations and periapical disease. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. To be included, participants needed to have at least 1 non-root-filled tooth restored with either direct or indirect restoration. A sample of 491 participants was examined. Clinical examination and digital periapical radiographs were used to record material used and assess the quality of the restorations. Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis were used to analyse the association between PAS and gender, age, restoration material/type, and quality. RESULTS: Overall, 26.3% of the participants were diagnosed with apical periodontitis (AP) on 1 or more of the examined teeth. No significant differences in the prevalence of AP were observed when comparing amalgam to composite or indirect restorations (P = .386). Furthermore, no association was reported between AP and gender or age, while a significant association was observed with the restoration's quality (P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The high prevalence of AP in the examined sample is of clinical concern and suggests that more attention should be directed towards dental health awareness in Jordan. Teeth restored with inadequate restorations were twice as likely to have AP.

Accuracy of detecting vertical root fractures in non-root filled teeth using cone beam computed tomography: effect of voxel size and fracture width.

AIM: To investigate simultaneously the effect of voxel size and fracture width on the accuracy of detecting vertical root fractures (VRFs) in non-root filled teeth when using cone beam computed tomography. METHODOLOGY: Fifty-one of 161 extracted human permanent teeth (16 anterior teeth, 132 premolars and 13 mandibular molars) were selected randomly for VRF induction with two fracture widths. All teeth were scanned with four CBCT units at different voxel sizes provided by the units. Three observers classified the presence or absence of VRF using a 5-point scale. Sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), negative predictive value (NPV) and area under the ROC curve (AUC) were calculated. AUCs amongst voxel sizes and between the fracture widths were compared using the Z test. Intra- and inter-observer agreement was assessed using weighted Cohen kappa. RESULTS: For the NewTom VGi and ProMax 3D Mid CBCT unit, no significant differences were found amongst voxel sizes for the AUCs, irrespective of the fracture width (P > 0.05). There were significant differences between images scanned with voxel size 250 and 160 µm (P = 0.02), and images scanned with voxel size 250 and 80 µm for AUCs in the narrow VRF group for the 3D Accuitomo 170 unit (P = 0.03). For i-CAT FLX, significant differences were found between the voxel protocols of 300 µm and of the other three voxel sizes for AUC, sensitivity and NPV (P < 0.05). Significant differences between the wide and the narrow VRF groups for AUCs were found for 3D Accuitomo 170 (P = 0.01) and ProMax 3D Mid (P < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Cone beam computed tomography was accurate for detecting VRF in non-root filled teeth. Fracture width had an effect on the detection of VRF. The effect of the voxel size on the detection of VRF depended on the CBCT unit used.