ENDODONTIC TREATMENT IN CHILDREN: A FIVE-YEAR RETROSPECTIVE STUDY OF CASES SEEN AT THE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE HOSPITAL, IBADAN, NIGERIA

BACKGROUND: Endodontic treatment aims at preservation of teeth that are pulpally damaged, consequently make the teeth functional on the dental arch. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed at determining the prevalence and pattern of endodontic treatment carried out at the Paediatric dental unit of the University College Hospital, Ibadan over a five-year period. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study of all patients below 16 years of age treated for various dental problems in our unit between August, 2010 and July, 2015. The records were reviewed and cases with endodontic treatments selected. Data such as age, gender, endodontically treated teeth, reasons for endodontic treatment and type of endodontic treatment given were retrieved from the patients' dental records. RESULTS: A total of 3,237 children were seen during the period under review, out of which 312 (9.6%) received endodontic treatment. There were 159 males and 153 females with a mean age of 10.2 ± 3.5. Children aged 10-13 years had the highest frequency of endodontic treatment (36.8%) and this was majorly due to dental trauma, followed by those aged 6-9 years (28.6%) who were treated mainly for dental caries. Root canal therapy was the most prevalent endodontic treatment in permanent teeth (central incisor; 32.7% and first permanent molars; 14.6%) while pulpectomy was the most prevalent endodontic treatment in primary teeth (p = < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Dental caries and trauma were the commonest reasons for endodontic treatment in primary and permanent teeth respectively. The prevalence of endodontic treatment in the studied children was 9.6% with highly invasive and multiple visits endodontic treatment type (pulpectomy and root canal therapy) being the most common. There is a need for early presentation of dental conditions so as to reduce complications which require such endodontic treatments.