Histologic and clinical assessment of long-term pulpal-periodontal therapy

A 20-year follow-up of cases published in 1959 involving the treatment of pulpal-periodontal disease suggests the following: 1. The periodontal results have been stable except for one case of root resorption and one case in which there was gingival recession with no pocket formation. 2. The histologic evidence in the resorbed case would suggest that repair had occurred with the formation of new bone, ligament, and cementum. 3. There was also evidence from the histologic sections that the inflammatory response was localized to the region of the apical foramen. 4. There was secondary osteocementum on the dentin surface inside the root canal which had narrowed the width of the apical foramen. 5. There was x-ray and histologic evidence that previously well-condensed gutta-percha had been resorbed during a 20-year period in all of the four treated root canals.