Association between Behçet's disease and apical periodontitis: A cross-sectional study.

Background: The correlation between Behçet's disease (BD) and apical periodontitis (AP) has not been investigated.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between BD and AP using different variables.

Material and methods: A total of 98 individuals (49 with BD and 49 controls) were recruited for the study. The presence of AP was confirmed through radiographic and clinical examination in all patients. The following data was evaluated in both the BD group and the control group: the presence of teeth with AP; the presence of root canal-treated (RCT) teeth; the presence of RCT teeth with AP; the severity of the disease; the types of medication taken; and the duration of the disease. The χ2 test and the logistic regression analysis were performed to ascertain the association between BD and AP.

Results: A total of 32 patients in the BD group and 12 patients in the control group presented with AP. The prevalence of teeth with AP was significantly higher in the BD group than in the control group (odds ratio = 5.804, p < 0.05). The χ2 analysis demonstrated a statistically significant association between AP and both gender and BD activity (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the logistic regression analysis indicated that the severity of the disease was a predictor of BD (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: A significantly higher prevalence of AP was observed in patients with BD. However, the success rate of endodontic treatment in patients with BD was comparable to that observed in healthy individuals.