Prevalence and etiology of the endodontic retreatment - a retrospective study in an undergraduate dental clinic

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence and the etiology of endodontic re-treatments performed by undergraduate students. Endodontic retreatments accomplished in the Dental School of the State University of Montes Claros – Unimontes - MG, Brazil, between the period of 2000-2004 were retrospectively evaluated. The analyses were made using the radiographies and the information present in the patient’s records. Detailed personal and dental history was obtained from the patient’s records, including the tooth type and patient’s gender and age. From a total of 673 cases requiring endodontic treatment, 52 (7.7%) were submitted to endodontic retreatment, predominantly in female patients (57.6%). The more affected tooth was the upper central incisor (34.6%) and the prevalent age group was from 15 to 35 years (48.1%). The main reason for the endodontic failure was the presence of poor coronal restoration (94.2%). The majority of the teeth which needed retreatment was asymptomatic (67.3%). In conclusion, the prevalence of endodontic retreatments in the studied population was low. The predominant etiology was the deficient sealing of root canals in the asymptomatic teeth.