Prevalence of Apical Periodontitis in a Public Dental Service in Northern Brazil

Apical periodontitis (AP) is characterized by a peri-root inflammatory process presented by the host's immune response, from infections that affect the root canal system. The objective of this study was to verify the prevalence of apical lesions in digital periapical radiographs performed in a public dental care service in the northern region of Brazil. To this end, 3967 digital periapical radiographs performed on patients seen in 2019 were analyzed and classified using the Ørstavik periapical index (PAI). A total of 7172 teeth were analyzed. Four hundred and twenty-one of these teeth had already received endodontic treatment with root filling. The prevalence of AP in teeth without endodontic treatment was equivalent to 14.6%. In teeth with TE, the prevalence was 33.5%. The overall prevalence, when at least one tooth of an individual had apical periodontitis, was 49.9%. The prevalence found was lower than the reported worldwide prevalence, but still considered high in this specific population and indicates the need for directing public policies to improve this condition.