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Is smoking a predictor of apical periodontitis?

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Clinical Oral Investigations Aims and scope Submit manuscript

An Erratum to this article was published on 13 June 2013

Abstract

Objectives

To evaluate the association between cigarette smoking and the frequency of apical periodontitis in female and male patients seeking treatment at the University of Basel (KREBS Project).

Materials and methods

This cohort study included full-mouth periapical radiographs of 161 subjects, including 66 current smokers, 26 former smokers and 69 individuals who had never smoked. The periapical region of all teeth was radiographically evaluated using the Periapical Index (PAI) score. Generalised linear mixed-effects models using the logit link were performed.

Results

The frequency of apical periodontitis differed based on gender and smoking status. Current male cigarette smokers with <10 or ≥10 pack years showed frequencies of apical periodontitis of 12 % and 5.5 %, respectively, compared to 3.8 % in individuals who had never smoked. The corresponding data for female smokers were 5.7 % and 7.2 % in smokers with <10 or ≥10 pack years, respectively, versus 5.2 % in individuals who had never smoked. The factors “prevalent coronal restoration” (p < 0.001), “prevalent root canal treatment” (p < 0.001) and “quality of root canal filling” (p < 0.001) were significant predictors for apical periodontitis. After adjustment for quality of root canal filling cigarette smoking was not associated with apical periodontitis in current female and male smokers with <10 or ≥10 pack years (p > 0.05).

Conclusion

Smoking status did not predict apical periodontitis in females and males in this sample group.

Clinical relevance

With respect to quality of root canal filling, tobacco use may not be a significant predictor for apical periodontitis.

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Acknowledgments

Parts of this research were conducted by F.R. Rodríguez in partial fulfilment of the requirements for an MD degree from the University of Basel, Switzerland. The authors gratefully acknowledge H. Hecker, N. Paganoni and E. Flückiger for their kind contribution to the manuscript. We thank Prof. Dr. Dr. Thomas Dietrich for the helpful statistics counselling and A. Schötzau and U. Simmen (Schötzau & Simmen, Basel, Switzerland) for statistical analysis.

Conflict of interest

The KREBS Project is partly supported by two unrestricted grants from the MS-Dental Forum (Busswil, Switzerland) and the Swiss National Program to promote Tobacco Use Prevention and Cessation (Bern, Switzerland).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Periodontology, Endodontology and Cariology, Dental School, University of Basel, Hebelstrasse 3, 4056, Basel, Switzerland

    Fabiola-Regina Rodriguez, Babür Taner, Roland Weiger & Clemens Walter

  2. Department of Oral Surgery, School of Dentistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, UK

    Clemens Walter

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  1. Fabiola-Regina Rodriguez
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  2. Babür Taner
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  3. Roland Weiger
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  4. Clemens Walter
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Correspondence to Clemens Walter.

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Rodriguez, FR., Taner, B., Weiger, R. et al. Is smoking a predictor of apical periodontitis?. Clin Oral Invest 17, 1947–1955 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-012-0893-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00784-012-0893-z

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