Extension and Density of Root Fillings and Postoperative Apical Radiolucencies in the Veterans Affairs Dental Longitudinal Study

Citation

Zhong, Yan; Chasen, Joel; Yamanaka, Ryan; Garcia, Raul; Kaye, Elizabeth Krall; Kaufman, Jay S.; Cai, Jianwen; Wilcosky, Tim; Trope, Martin; & Caplan, Daniel J. (2008). Extension and Density of Root Fillings and Postoperative Apical Radiolucencies in the Veterans Affairs Dental Longitudinal Study. Journal of Endodontics, 34(7), 798-803. PMCID: PMC2587075

Abstract

We evaluated the association between radiographically assessed extension and density of root canal fillings and postoperative apical radiolucencies (ARs) by using data from 288 participants in the Veterans Affairs Dental Longitudinal Study. Study subjects were not Veterans Affairs patients; all received their medical and dental care in the private sector. Generalized estimating equations were used to account for multiple teeth within subjects and to control for covariates of interest. Defective root filling density was associated with increased odds of postoperative AR among teeth with no preoperative AR (odds ratio, 3.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.3–7.1), although preoperative AR was the strongest risk factor for postoperative AR (odds ratio, 29.2; 95% CI, 13.6–63.0 among teeth with ideal density). Compared with well-extended root fillings, neither overextended nor underextended root fillings separately were related to postoperative AR, but when those 2 categories were collapsed into one poorly extended category, poor extension was related to postoperative AR (odds ratio, 1.8; 95% CI, 1.1–3.2).

URL

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.joen.2008.03.022

Reference Type

Journal Article

Year Published

2008

Journal Title

Journal of Endodontics

Author(s)

Zhong, Yan
Chasen, Joel
Yamanaka, Ryan
Garcia, Raul
Kaye, Elizabeth Krall
Kaufman, Jay S.
Cai, Jianwen
Wilcosky, Tim
Trope, Martin
Caplan, Daniel J.

PMCID

PMC2587075