Retrospective evaluation of the prevalence of apical periodontitis in an adult population in Turkey

Aim: Epidemiological studies with different populations reveal that apical periodontitis (AP) is a common oral health problem that can compromisesystemic health. This retrospective studyaimed to investigatethe frequency of AP, characterized by periapical bone destruction due to primary endodontic infection, in an adult Turkish population. Material and Method: Follow-up system records of 7386 patients, who applied to the endodontic clinic between the dates of January 2016 and December 2020 were obtained. These records were retrospectively reviewed between February 2021 and June 2021. Eventually, 107,054 teeth of 4281 patients (2342 females - 1939 males) were evaluated and included in the study. Panoramic radiographs of all patients and periapical radiographs of the involved teeth were examined. Periapical health status was classified using the PAI scale developed by Ørstavik, and coronal health status was assessed by the presence of caries, restoration, and restoration type. The effects of individual and tooth-specific risk factors on the incidence of AP were determined using the Kruskal-Wallis and Conover paired comparison test methods. Two-way significance level was accepted as 0.05 in the analyses. Results: A total of 5475 teeth requiring root canal treatment were identified in 4281 patients (107,054 teeth). AP was found in 2449 (1633 female-1316 male) patients (53%). When the relationship between age groups and the PAI scores of the teeth was examined, the frequency of AP was significantly higher in the young population (p<0.001). There was a significantly higher frequency of AP in teeth with caries (p<0.001). A statistically significant difference was observed between tooth types in terms of AP frequency (p<0.001). In multi-rooted teeth, there was no significant difference in terms of root type (p˃0.05). Conclusion: This study found the frequency of AP to be 53% in a Turkish subpopulation.