Radiographic assessments on prevalence and technical quality of endodontically-treated teeth in the Finnish population, aged 30 years and older

Abstract

Objective. To assess the prevalence and technical quality of endodontic treatment (ET) in Finland by panoramic radiography. Materials and methods. As part of the Finnish nationwide Health 2000 Survey, panoramic radiographs of 5244 dentate subjects, aged 30–95 years, were analyzed. The criterion for a technically adequate ET was a distance from the root filling to the root apex of ≤3 mm. Results. Sixty-one per cent of subjects had one or more teeth with ET. ET was more prevalent in older subjects and among women. Of all teeth (n = 120 250), 7% had had ET, the percentages being greatest for molars and premolars. Technical quality was adequate in 47% of all ET, in 71% of anterior teeth, in 51% of premolars and in 25% of molars. Conclusions. Prevalence and technical quality of endodontic treatment in Finland are comparable to that reported elsewhere, but are still calling for improvement in endodontic treatment, especially regarding molars.

Key Words::

• endodontics
• panoramic radiography
• prevalence
• technical quality

Acknowledgements

Planmeca Oy is acknowledged for placing the digital panoramic X-ray apparatus and software at our disposal. This study is a part of the Health 2000 Health Examination survey organized by the National Public Health Institute of Finland and was partly supported by the Finnish Dental Society Apollonia and the Finnish Dental Association. We thank DDS Mika Mattila and DDS, PhD Kari Soikkonen for participation in the interpretation of radiographs.

Declaration of interest: The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the paper.