Outcomes of endodontic micro-resurgery: a prospective clinical study

Introduction

This study examined the outcomes of endodontic resurgery by using current microsurgery techniques on failed teeth with previous endodontic surgery. Another goal was to determine any significant outcome predictors of endodontic surgery by determining the causes of failure in the first endodontic surgery.

Methods

The data were collected from patients in the Department of Conservative Dentistry at the Dental College, Yonsei University in Seoul, Korea between March 2001 and May 2009. All 54 teeth that required surgical retreatment were included in this study. All surgical procedures were performed by using an operating microscope and biocompatible root-end filling materials such as mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) or Super EBA. The patients were recalled every 6 months for 2 years and every year thereafter to assess the clinical and radiographic signs of healing.

Results

The recall rate was 77.8% (42 of 54 patients). Of the 42 cases recalled, 39 cases were included in the success category, giving an overall success rate of 92.9%. The most common possible causes of failure were no root-end filling and incorrect root-end preparation.

Conclusions

The use of microsurgical techniques and biocompatible materials such as MTA and Super-EBA resulted in a high clinical success rate, even in endodontic resurgery.