Frequency of endodontic treatment in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of endodontic treatment in dental patients treated in a Nigerian Teaching Hospital. Method: A survey of 470 patients undergoing endodontic treatment at the conservative clinic of the department of restorative dentistry of Lagos University Teaching Hospital was conducted to determine the frequency of endodontic treatment for each tooth, number of males versus females that needed endodontic treatment and the frequency of root canal therapy in the maxilla compared to mandible. The data on age, sex of patients, date of treatment and tooth treated were retrieved from patients\' dental records. Results: Endodontic treatment was carried out on a total of 490 teeth. The frequency of endodontic treatment was more in the females (56.4%) compared to males (43.6%). 58% of the treated teeth were maxillary teeth and 42% were mandibular teeth. There was predominance of endodontic treatment in the molars (49.8%) with the lower first molar being the most frequently treated and accounted for 18.8% of teeth treated. Conclusion: A high proportion of endodontic treatment was now frequently performed on molars in patients treated at Lagos University Teaching Hospital dental centre which suggested the availability of more dentists with better facilities to attend to patients that needed endodontic treatment. Keywords: Endodontic treatment, root canal therapy, frequencyNigerian Dental Journal Vol. 15 (2) 2007: pp. 98-101