Radiographic assessment of the intracanal retainer length and its endodontic correlation

Abstract

Objective: This study retrospectively correlated metallic cast retainers’ length with the quality of the remaining apical sealing. Methods: A total of 320 periapical radiographs were analyzed by two independent, calibrated examiners. The retainers’ length was classified as adequate, short, and long (2/3, <2/3, and >2/3 of the root length, respectively). The quality of the remaining apical sealing was assessed considering three aspects: lateral compaction, distance to the root apex, and amount of remaining filling material. A chi-square test at a 5% significance level was used for statistical analysis. Results: Of the 443 intracanal retainers assessed, 14.9% were adequate, 82.4% short, and 2.7% long. Regarding endodontic treatment aspects, 76.1% were inadequate in at least one aspect, whereas approximately 50% were incorrect in all aspects analyzed (p=0.0003). When both prosthetic and endodontic aspects were considered, 5.9% of the treatments were considered appropriate, 16.9% clinically acceptable, and 77.2% inadequate. Conclusions: Suitable retainers were 2.5 times more frequent in teeth with adequate endodontic treatment. The low frequency of appropriate intracanal retainers suggests inappropriate endodontic treatment.