Endodontic and Restorative Treatment Patterns of Pulpally Involved Immature Permanent Posterior Teeth

OBJECTIVE: The study aims at investigating the treatment patterns for young permanent posterior teeth with pulp involvement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A random sample of 1793 dental records of patients aged 6–18 years old who had received dental treatment was investigated. 663 permanent posterior treated teeth had pulp involvement. Demographic and treatment data were gathered from patients' records. RESULTS: Prevalence of young permanent teeth with pulp involvement was 36.9%. Treatments received significantly increased as patients' age increased (P=0.001). The first mandibular molar had the most pulp involvement among all teeth (43.89%). Temporary restoration was the most received restoration (59%). The most common pulpal diagnosis, leading to treatment, was irreversible pulpitis (43.04%). Only 19.8% of treated teeth received completed root canal treatment. CONCLUSION: There is a high percentage of children and adolescents with immature permanent posterior teeth with pulp involvement. Similarly, a variety of treatment patterns is present, with a small percentage of completed root canal treatment. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The study has identified the need to provide guidelines to provide high-quality root canal treatments for young permanent posterior teeth that have pulpal involvement. Only 21.8% of root canal treatments were completed, while 24% of teeth were extracted, and 59% of patients received temporary restorative treatments. This suggests that there might be several factors that might prevent completion of the dental treatment, such as patient preference, insurance coverage, or dentist capability. These factors and guidelines for patient care should be investigated and resolved.