Assessment of pulpal changes in periodontitis patients using CBCT: a volumetric analysis.

Introduction: Evidence suggests that periodontal disease can lead to inflammation and degeneration within dental pulp, highlighting the need for dental professionals to understand this association better.

Objective: The objective for this study was to establish a correlation between pulp volume and periodontal disease using Cone-Beam Computed Tomography (CBCT) imaging.

Methods: A cross-sectional study design was employed for the collected data from 148 patients aged 39.51 years using dental images obtained by CBCT and analyzed by medical software to create three-dimensional (3D) images. Pulp-volume analysis was performed using Amira software and measurements were derived using bio-models generated from CBCT images. Obtained data was analyzed using SPSS-27 statistical software.

Results: The mean pulp volume between healthy and teeth with periodontitis showed certain differences. The mean low and largest pulp volumes of 9.15 ± 3.3 mm³ and 15.24 ± 4.2 mm³ were observed involving teeth # 41 and teeth # 13, respectively. Furthermore, a higher mean of pulp volume was observed in healthy teeth than in periodontitis-diagnosed teeth except for teeth # 33 and 43. The significant difference (p < 0.05) was easily detected involving teeth # 22, 23, 11, and 13. However, the lowest difference, with non-significant difference (p > 0.05), involving teeth # 43, 31, and 33 was observed.

Discussion: The study's findings underscore a significant correlation between periodontitis and reduced pulp volume, suggesting that periodontal inflammation may influence pupal remodeling.