[Effect of quality of root canal obturation on the long-term results of root canal therapy].

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to analyze the quality of obturation affecting the long-term results of root canal therapy (RCT) by radiographic evaluation. METHODS: Teeth of RCT for 2 or more than 2 years were chosen, and periapical radiographs were taken with paralleling technique. The patients' age, gender, etiology, the time of therapy were recorded. The current apical periodontal status of these endodontically treated teeth were examined and recorded. The data were subjected to univariate and multivariate analysis with SPSS13.0 software package. RESULTS: This study investigated 215 cases with 376 endodontically treated teeth. The success rate was 54.79%. If counted by root canal, there were 513 root canals, the success rate was 61.4%. The quality of obturation including obturation position and obturation density affected significantly the results of root canal therapy (P0.01). The ideal obturation position for successful treated canals was 0.5-2mm from the radiographic apex. The success rate was higher for a good obturation density, especially in the apical third. No statistically significant differences were found based on gender, age and obturation time. CONCLUSION: The quality of root canal obturation significantly affected the long-term results of root canal therapy. Supported by Science Development Foundation of Shanghai Public Health Bureau (Grant No.044062).