Radiographic evaluation of periapical status and prevalence of endodontic treatment in an adult Japanese population

Objectives. To determine the prevalence of periapical radiolucencies and endodontic treatment in an adult Japanese population. Study design. Periapical status and length of root fillings of 672 adult patients attending Okayama University Hospital of Dentistry were evaluated using full mouth intraoral radiographs. Results. Overall, 87% of the subjects had root-filled teeth, and 70% exhibited an apical radiolucency. Of the 16,232 teeth examined, 21% had been root-filled, and, of these, 40% exhibited an apical radiolucency. Root-filled teeth that were overfilled or that were mandibular incisors had the highest prevalence of apical radiolucencies. Conclusions. The prevalence of root-filled teeth appears higher in this Japanese population than in Europe or America; however, the ratio of teeth with an apical radiolucency to root-filled teeth was within the range of that reported for other countries. Overfilled teeth and mandibular incisors are most likely to exhibit apical radiolucencies.