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.
To read this article in full you will need to make a payment
Purchase one-time access:
Academic & Personal: 24 hour online accessCorporate R&D Professionals: 24 hour online accessOne-time access price info
- For academic or personal research use, select 'Academic and Personal'
- For corporate R&D use, select 'Corporate R&D Professionals'
Subscribe:
Subscribe to Journal of EndodonticsAlready a print subscriber? Claim online access
Already an online subscriber? Sign in
Register: Create an account
Institutional Access: Sign in to ScienceDirect
References
- The success of endodontic therapy-healing and functionality.J Calif Dent Assoc. 2004; 32: 493-503
- Prognosis of initial endodontic therapy.Endodontic Topics. 2002; 2: 59-88
- Treatment outcome and prognosis of endodontic therapy.in: Ørstavik D Pitt Ford TR Essential endodontology. Blackwell Science, Oxford1998: 367-401
- Endodontic epidemiology and treatment outcome: general considerations.Endodontic Topics. 2002; 2: 1-9
- Epidemiological evaluation of the outcomes of nonsurgical root canal treatment in a large cohort of insured dental patients.J Endod. 2001; 27: 791-796
- The prevalence and technical quality of endodontic treatment in an American population.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol Oral Radiol Endod. 1995; 79: 92-100
- Churchill Livingstone, New York2000: 95-103 Evidence-based Medicine: how to practice and teach EBM. 2nd ed.
- The dependence of the results of pulp therapy on certain factors, an analytic study based on radiographic and clinical follow-up examination.Acta Odontol Scand. 1956; : 14
- Time-course and risk analyses of the development and healing of chronic apical periodontitis in man.Int Endod J. 1996; 29: 150-155
- Success rate for gutta-percha and Kloroperka N-O root fillings made by undergraduate students: radiographic findings after 10–17 years.Int Endod J. 1998; 21: 243-250
- Influence of calcium hydroxide intracanal dressings on the prognosis of teeth with endodontically induced periapical lesions.Int Endod J. 2000; 33: 219-226
- Nonsurgically retreated root-filled teeth-radiographic findings after 20–27 years.Int Endod J. 2004; 37: 12-18
- Periapical changes following root canal treatment observed 20–27 years postoperatively.Int Endod J. 2002; 35: 784-790
- Incidence of periradicular pathoses in endodontic treatment failures.J Endod. 1993; 19: 315-318
- Periapical lesions-type, incidence, and clinical features.Oral Surg. 1966; 21: 657-671
- Types and incidence of human periapical lesions obtained with extracted teeth.Oral Surg Oral Med Oral Pathol. 1996; 81: 93-102
- Incidence of periapical cysts in relation to the root canal.J Endod. 1980; 6: 845-848
- Factors influencing the radiographic appearance of bony lesions.J Endod. 1997; 23: 5-14
- Relationship between crown placement and the survival of endodontically treated teeth.J Prosth Dent. 2002; 87: 256-263
- Failure of endodontically treated teeth: classification and evaluation.J Endod. 1991; 17: 338-342
- A survey of cusp fractures in a population of general dental practices.Int J Prosth. 2002; 15: 559-563
- Coronal fractures in posterior teeth.Oper Dent. 1989; 14: 28-32
- In vivo fractures of endodontically treated posterior teeth restored with amalgam.Endod Dent Traumatol. 1990; 6: 49-55
- Reduction in tooth stiffness as a result of endodontic and restorative procedures.J Endod. 1989; 15: 512-516
- Intracoronal reinforcement and coronal coverage: a study of endodontically treated teeth.J Prosth Dent. 1984; 51: 780-784
- Quality of life and satisfaction outcomes of endodontic treatment.J Endod. 2002; 28: 819-827
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.