Outcome assessment of endodontic treatment is critical for appropriate case selection
and treatment planning. However, reports on outcomes of nonsurgical endodontic treatment
vary considerably. Epidemiological studies done in a large patient population and
over a long follow-up period can provide the clinician with useful tools for clinical
decision-making and assessment of tooth prognosis. In this study, outcomes of initial
endodontic treatment done in 1,462,936 teeth of 1,126,288 patients from 50 states
across the USA was assessed over a period of 8 yr. Treatment was done by private general
practitioners and endodontists participating in the Delta Dental Insurance plan that
insures approximately 14 million individuals in the USA. Overall, 97% of teeth were
retained in the oral cavity 8 yr after initial nonsurgical endodontic treatment. The
combined incidence of untoward events such as retreatments, apical surgeries, and
extractions was 3% and occurred mostly within 3 yr from completion of treatment. Analysis
of the extracted teeth revealed that 85% had no full coronal coverage. A significant
difference was found between covered and noncovered teeth for all tooth groups tested
(p < 0.001). In conclusion, it appears that initial nonsurgical endodontic treatment
is a predictable procedure with high incidence of tooth retention after 8 yr.
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Article info
Footnotes
The authors thank Dr. Michael Del Aguila from Delta Dental data center for assisting in data collection, Dr. Michael Melnick for the statistical analysis and the USC Endodontic Innovation and Development Fund.
Identification
Copyright
© 2004 The American Association of Endodontists. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
