Analysis of endodontic therapy results: Radiodensitometric study

Abstract

The study aims to highlight the role of radiodensitometric method (based on video processing) in the analysis of endodontic therapy used in some severe cases of chronic apical periodontitis (CAP). Three patients (age 20-30) with severe chronic apical periodontitis were treated using non-surgical endodontic treatment. For each patient, conventional periapical radiographs were taken before and after treatment completion as well as after 24 months. The endodontic therapy used the usual stages of chemo-mechanical root canals preparation and calcium hydroxide paste for 14 days. The root canal obturation was performed with gutta-percha cones and endodontic sealer Endoflas (Sanlor) with antibacterial and remineralisation properties. The pairs of digitized radiographs were submitted to the radiodensitometric analysis (video processing). The signs of apical bone healing were observed on conventional radiographs and digitized radiographs after 24 months, for all treated patients. The degree of bone remineralisation for the cases with partial bone healing varied between 73.33% and 90.99%. The radiodensitometric analysis of endodontic treatment results is superior to the assessment using conventional radiographs, as it allows an accurate and quantitative assessment of the healing processes at diverse time intervals.