Quality of Endodontic Treatments at Dental Specialty Centers in the Greater Natal, RN, Brazil

Objective: To evaluate the technical quality of the endodontic treatments performed at Dental Specialty Centers (DSC) in the Greater Natal, RN, Brazil, between 2006 and 2008. Method: A cross-sectional design was used with a sample of 282 teeth with endodontic treatments completed at least 1 year before the study. The participants were subjected to clinical and radiographic. The endodontically treated teeth were examined by an endodontist who compared and analyzed the radiographs taken at the end of the treatment as part of the patient’s documentation at the DSC with the current radiographs. The collected data were presented by descriptive statistics in absolute numbers, percentages and means. Association among the independent and dependent variables was made by bivariate analysis with the chi-square and Fisher’s exact tests. Results: As much as 79.8% of the teeth did not present periapical lesion, 84.4% had no associated painful symptomatology, 8.2% were fractured and 3.2% had been extracted. The root fillings were adequate in 81.2% of the teeth. Regarding the apical limit of root canal filling, adequate filling was observed in 135 teeth (47.9%), overfilling in 50 (17.7%) and underfilling in 88 (31.2%). Persistence of periapical lesion was associated with the initial stage of apical periodontitis (p<0.05). Conclusion: The endodontic treatments performed at the DSC have adequate technical quality, resulting in success of the root canal therapy.