Endodontic treatment of teeth with periapical radiolucent areas in a general dental practice

Clinical details of 192 teeth with preoperative periapical radiolucent areas, treated endodontically, are described. The presenting signs and symptoms as well as some postoperative observations are listed. Periapical radiolucent areas were most frequently found related to maxillary teeth: 55 percent were adjacent to teeth with a single root canal and 30 percent related to teeth with three root canals. Radiographic follow-up 1 or more years after therapy was possible in 125 of the root-filled teeth: of those teeth, 59 percent shows disappearance of the radiolucent area and 29 percent exhibited a decrease in size of the area. The degree of success did not appear to be related to the number of root canals filled per tooth but, rather, to whether or not the root filling was short of the radiographic apex. In addition, the prognosis made at the time of root filling was accurate in most cases when compared to the estimated success rates.