Endodontic Indications among Patients Visiting a Tertiary Care Center: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Introduction: Endodontics is the study of prevention, diagnosis and treatment of diseases or injuries to the dental pulp. The ultimate goal of modern dental care is tooth preservation and root canal therapy/treatment is an available therapeutic strategy to retain teeth. The aim of the study is to find the prevalence of patients visiting a tertiary care center who had endodontic indications. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted over one year from April 15, 2020, to February 15, 2021 at a tertiary care hospital. The ethical approval was obtained from the Institutional Review Committee of Nobel Medical College (Reference number: 409/2020). Convenience sampling method was used. The patients admitted for alcohol use and related problems in the Psychiatry Department, Nobel Medical College Teaching Hospital, Biratnagar were included. Data entry was done using Microsoft Excel and statistical analysis was done by using Statistical Packages of Social Sciences Version 16.0. Point estimate at 95% Confidence Interval was calculated along with frequency and percentage. Results: Out of 1740 patients, 516 (29.66%) (95% Confidence Interval= 21.46% - 27.51%) had endodontic indications. Symptomatic irreversible pulpitis 306 (59.30%) was the most prevalent pulpal disease. Maxillary teeth 300 (58.13%) had more endodontic diseases. While in individual dental elements most affected by endodontic diseases was the mandibular molar teeth 149 (28.87%). Females 348 (67.44%) were predominant for demanding endodontic management than males 168 (32.5%). Conclusions: More female patients and of younger age group in this study population demanded endodontic treatment. Irreversible pulpitis was responsible for the majority of the cases treated and more affected were the posterior teeth

Keywords

• endodontics; pulpitis; root canal treatment.