A survey on periapical radiography efficacy in detection apical root resorption (a histological study)

Statement of Problem: One of the dental lesions which is mainly diagnosed by periapical radiography is apical root resorption Diagnosis of the presence and extension of this lesion can put some effects on its treatment plan and prognosis. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of periapical radiography on apical root resorption diagnosis. In this experimental study, sixty extracted teeth were examined radiographic and histological regarding the presence and extension of apical root resorption. It should be noted that periapical radiographs were taken before extraction of all mentioned teeth. The results were analyzed by Fisher’s exact test. The results of this study showed significant differences between radiological and histological examinations (P=0.0003). Significant correlation between these two observations was seen only in 53.33% of cases comprising 23% of teeth with root resouption. Non-correlation was found in 46% of samples. Moreover, there was no significant difference in the prevalence of apical root resorption between maxillary and mandibular teeth (P=0.233). Sensitivity of periapical radiographs in apical root resorption diagnosis was determined 57.3%. According to the findings of the present study, it seems that periapical radiography technique does not possess desirable efficacy in diagnosis of apical root resorption and its limitation should be considered by clinicians.