Endodontically treated teeth and periapical findings in the elderly

The radiographic quality of root-canal fillings, the prevalence of periapical findings and their associations with gender and age and were investigated in 133 dentate old people living at home (45 males and 88 females, aged 76, 81, and 86 years and who had endodontically treated teeth or periapical lesions. Sixteen per cent of the endodontically treated teeth (n= 507) exhibited periapical lesions, compared with 4% for the teeth not endodontically treated (P < 0.0001) (χ² test). Lesions were least prevalent in association with radiographically adequate root canal fillings (10%), and most prevalent in teeth with root canal post perforation (100%). Overfilled root canals and multi-rooted teeth with one or more unfilled roots also showed a high percentage of lesions (19% and 22%, respectively). Men had more periapical lesions than women in endodontically treated teeth (P < 0.0001, Mann-Whitney U-test), a finding contrary to previous studies in younger subjects. There were no other statistically significant differences between the sexes or age groups, although the percentage of root-filled teeth increased with age.