Prevalence of apical periodontitis and frequency of root‐filled teeth in an adult Sudanese population

The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence of teeth with apical periodontitis (AP) and root‐filled (RF) teeth in an adult Sudanese population. Panoramic and periapical radiographs were obtained for 200 patients over 18 years of age seeking routine dental care and attending the dental clinics (University of Khartoum) and the dental hospital (University of Science and Technology) for the first time. The periapical status of all teeth (except third molars) was categorized on the basis of the presence or absence of radiographic signs of AP. In addition, the frequency of RF teeth was recorded. Data were analyzed using the chi‐square test and odds ratio (OR). The periapical status of 4,967 teeth was assessed. AP in one or several teeth was identified in 95 (47%) patients and in 3.3% of the teeth. The prevalence of AP was higher in molar teeth (7.3%) than in premolar (3.5%) and anterior teeth (0.9%, p ≤ .001). There were 80 (1.6%) RF teeth in 42 (21%) patients. The probability of root‐filling in molar and premolar teeth was almost twice that of anterior teeth (OR with 95% confidence intervals: 1.06 < 1.91 < 3.44, p ≤ .05). The prevalence of RF teeth increased with age (OR of 48 ± year = 3.06, p ≤ .001). Statistical analysis showed that the probability of radiological detection of AP in RF teeth was 17‐fold higher than in nonfilled ones (OR with 95% confidence intervals: 9.87 < 16.83 < 28.25, p ≤ .001). Therefore, the probability of AP, RF teeth with or without AP, and missing teeth was high in molar teeth than in anterior or premolar teeth. The frequency of RF teeth was low compared to that demonstrated in most other epidemiological studies. This highlights the need to focus on improving the quality of restorations and the procedure by which root canal is shaped and disinfected.