Prevalence of Dens Invaginatus assessed by CBCT: Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

BACKGROUND: Dens invaginatus is a developmental dental anomaly resulting from an invagination of dental tissues folding from the outer surface towards dental pulp. The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to determine the prevalence of dens invaginatus using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT). MATERIAL AND METHODS: A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA statements. The research question was: What is the prevalence of dens invaginatus in the adult population assessed by CBCT? The MeSH terms were used to search articles published in the electronic database PubMed. Studies were selected considering predetermined eligibility criteria. The Robins-I tool developed by Cochrane was used to assess methodological quality and risk of bias. RESULTS: Four studies were included in this systematic review, including 2009 CBCT images. The overall prevalence of dens invaginatus was 9.0% (95% CI = 7.2 – 10.8%; p< 0.001). Three studies were considered of low risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this systematic review and meta-analysis show that prevalence of dens invaginatus using CBCT was higher than previous estimations carried out with conventional radiographs. Therefore, an early identification and a correct management of invaginated teeth is essential for improving the prognosis of these teeth. It can be concluded that teeth with dens invaginatus should always be studied using CBCT. Key words:Dens invaginatus, Dens in dente, Dental anomalies, CBCT, Cone beam computed tomography.