Is there a higher prevalence of apical periodontitis in head and neck cancer patients? A retrospective study with panoramic radiographs.

Purpose: The present study aimed to retrospectively investigate whether there is a difference in the occurrence of apical periodontitis (AP) between patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer (HNC) and non-HNC individuals, given the scarcity of studies on the subject.

Materials and methods: Medical records from 660 patients diagnosed with HNC and 167 without any diagnosis of malignancy were selected. The radiographs were examined by two experienced examiners, and the images were classified as normal or altered.

Results: 281 oncologic patients (comprising 4391 teeth) and 144 non-oncologic patients (comprising 3094 teeth) were evaluated. Radiographic signs of AP were found in 16.19% and 9.02% of teeth in HNC and non-HNC patients, respectively (P < 0.0001). Considering teeth without endodontic treatment, the prevalence of AP was 15.90% in HNC patients and 6.41% in the others (P < 0.0001). However, there was no difference between the groups regarding AP in endodontically treated teeth (25.37% in the HNC group and 30.42% in the non-HNC group; P = 0.35).

Conclusion: Within the study's limitations, patients diagnosed with HNC present a higher prevalence of AP compared to non-HNC patients, both in general and concerning endodontically untreated teeth.