title: Periapical status and prevalence of endodontic treatment in institutionalized elderly.
abstract: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and frequency of apical periodontitis and root fillings in 450 institutionalized Brazilian elderly. The teeth with apical periodontitis were assessed using the Periapical Index (PAI) score. A total of 942 teeth were evaluated in 98 subjects (57 females and 41 males) with mean age of 74 years. The observed frequency of total edentulous subjects was high (76%) in this population. A total of 126 teeth showed root fillings, of these only 46 (36.5%) were scored as having adequate quality. Apical periodontitis was found in 114 teeth (12.1%) in 42 (42.9%) subjects. 80 (70.2%) inadequate root-filled teeth showed apical periodontitis. There was a significant correlation between the presence of periapical pathology and inadequate root-filled teeth. Inadequate root-filled teeth were associated with an increased prevalence of apical periodontitis in these subjects. This fact may result in increased endodontic retreatment needs for this population.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry of Piracicaba, University of Campinas, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eduardo
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hebling
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry of Piracicaba, University of Campinas, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Lorena Alves
authors.initials: LA
authors.lastname: Coutinho
authors.affiliation: Department of Restorative Dentistry, School of Dentistry of Piracicaba, University of Campinas, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Caio Cézar Randi
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Ferraz
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry of Piracicaba, University of Campinas, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Fernanda Lopes
authors.initials: FL
authors.lastname: Cunha
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Dentistry, School of Dentistry of Piracicaba, University of Campinas, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Dagmar de Paula
authors.initials: Dde P
authors.lastname: Queluz
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007326:Institutionalization; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012390:Root Canal Therapy; D019227:Tooth Apex