title: Success rate of endodontic treatment of teeth with vital and nonvital pulps. A meta-analysis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to use meta-analysis statistics to determine the influence of factors such as apical limit (short vs. overextension), status of the pulp (vital vs. nonvital), and periapical status (presence or absence of radiolucency) on endodontic prognosis. Study design The study-list was obtained by using a MEDLINE search and Japana Centra Revuo Medicina search. Only those papers in which the criteria for success or failure was exactly described were accepted.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The cumulative success rate of 82.8 +/- 1.19% (average +/-95% confidence interval) was obtained for vital pulp; and 78.9 +/- 1.05%, for nonvital ones. There was a significant difference between the 2 groups.The cumulative success rates with overextension, flush, and underextension in vital teeth were 70.8 +/- 1.44, 86.5 +/- 0.88, and 85.5 +/- 0.98% respectively. There was a significant difference between flush and overextension and between flush and underextension. The rates for nonvital pulp were similar to those for vital ones.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The root canal should be filled to within 2 mm of the radiographic apex.
authors.affiliation: Department of Endodontics, School of Dentistry, Aichi Gakuin University, Nagoya, Japan. kyon@dpc.aichi-gakuin.ac.jp
authors.forename: Koko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kojima
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inamoto
authors.forename: Kumiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagamatsu
authors.forename: Akiko
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hara
authors.forename: Kazuhiko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakata
authors.forename: Ichizo
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Haruo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakagaki
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakamura
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D003782:Dental Pulp / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010483:Periapical Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D011379:Prognosis; D012387:Root Canal Filling Materials / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012390:Root Canal Therapy / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D019227:Tooth Apex / Q000473:pathology; D019553:Tooth, Nonvital / Q000628:therapy*; D017211:Treatment Failure; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D012387:Root Canal Filling Materials