title: Relationship between Time from Full Pulpotomy to Definitive Diagnosis of Vertical Root Fracture and Patient Age.
abstract: The goal of this study was to investigate length of time between full pulpotomy and a definitive diagnosis of vertical root fracture (VRF), as well as the age at which this was made. The participants comprised 63 dental patients (40 men and 23 women) with a mean age of 65.7±10.4 years in whom a definitive diagnosis of VRF had been made between July 2013 and June 2015, and who had also undergone a full pulpotomy. The data on all these cases were obtained from 22 dental clinics belonging to a clinical study group. The mean duration between a full pulpotomy and a definitive diagnosis of VRF was 141.0±88.9 months. The results showed no differences in terms of sex, mandible/maxilla, or tooth type. No relationship was observed between age at which the diagnosis was made and length of time between full pulpotomy and diagnosis (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.162) (p>0.05). Most diagnoses of VRF were made in patients aged over 50 years, irrespective of length of time between full pulpotomy and the diagnosis. These results suggest that age is a stronger indicator of VRF than length of time between full pulpotomy and a definitive diagnosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Tokyo Dental College.
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yoshino
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ito
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kuroda
authors.forename: Naoki
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Sugihara
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011672:Pulpotomy; D012390:Root Canal Therapy; D013997:Time Factors; D014082:Tooth Fractures / Q000175:diagnosis; D014092:Tooth Root