The Influence of Apical Radiolucency Size on Dentists' Decision-making Regarding Adequately Treated Teeth with Asymptomatic Apical Periodontitis using Digitally Simulated Images.

Introduction: Epidemiologic studies have reported a relatively high prevalence of asymptomatic apical periodontitis in endodontically treated teeth. Such teeth, when adequately restored and endodontically treated, present a clinical dilemma regarding whether to intervene or follow-up. The aim of this study was to examine dentists' clinical decision-making for well-treated endodontically and adequately restored teeth with asymptomatic apical periodontitis, presenting various sizes of simulated apical radiolucencies.

Materials and methods: Twenty dentists (10 endodontic specialists and 10 prosthodontic specialists) completed a questionnaire containing cases of well-treated asymptomatic teeth, that is, adequately restored and endodontically treated, where some teeth showed normal apical tissues and others presented various sizes of simulated periapical radiolucencies (3 mm, 6 mm, 9 mm, or 12 mm). For each case, participants selected one of 4 treatment options: follow-up, root canal retreatment, endodontic surgery, or extraction.

Results: Both specialty groups unanimously recommended follow-up for teeth without apical radiolucency. When apical radiolucency was present, its size was significantly associated with an active treatment decision, in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Among those who opted for treatment, endodontic surgery was the most frequently selected option, followed by retreatment, while extraction was the least chosen.

Conclusions: This study suggests that dentists' decision-making regarding asymptomatic, adequately treated teeth with apical periodontitis is influenced by the size of the apical radiolucency. Moreover, there was a general tendency to preserve such teeth and to prefer endodontic surgery over orthograde root canal retreatment.