(PR58) Prevalence of Apical Periodontitis and its Association with Systemic Diseases

Introduction: Apical periodontitis (AP) is widespread chronic inflammatory disease emanating from microbial infection of the root canal system. We hypothesize that underlying systemic inflammatory conditions contribute to the prevalence of AP.

Objective: To establish the prevalence of apical periodontitis and its association with various chronic inflammatory diseases. Materials and

Methods: The study sample (n=136) comprised randomly selected study subjects from a pool of comprehensive care patients at UCLA School of Dentistry over seven year period. Inclusion criteria were patients with full mouth radiographs and complete clinical data. Radiographic evaluation was performed using periapical index (PAI) scoring. Three calibrated evaluators reviewed clinical records and radiographs. Inter-reliability ratings were > 78 % (Cohen’s Kappa test). Clinical data were collected from electronic health records. The frequency of AP was compared between patients with/without systemic inflammatory diseases.

Results: Overall prevalence of AP was 43%, with frequency of AP 1.2 times higher in patients with one or more systemic inflammatory conditions compared to those without. Similarly, the prevalence of AP in teeth with prior non-surgical root canal treatment (NSRCT) was 1.2 times higher in patients with systemic health conditions compared to those without (49% vs 40%). Notably, frequency of AP (PAI >3) in teeth with NSRCT was the highest in patients with a history of COPD (71%), diabetes (64%), cancer (53%), osteoarthritis (48%), and hypertension (30%).

Conclusion: Preliminary results of this study show an association between frequency of AP and systemic health. Patients with systemic inflammatory diseases have higher prevalence of AP than healthy individuals.