After pulp infection and necrosis, the passage of microbial antigens into the periapical space causes apical periodontitis (AP). Most of the clinical forms of AP can be managed without prescribing antibiotics, only with root canal treatment and abscess drainage or, where appropriate, tooth extraction. However, the scientific literature provides evidence of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions by dentists in the management of apical disease. Objectives: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to analyze the global pattern of antibiotic prescription in the treatment of apical disease. Methods: PRISMA Guidelines were followed to carry out this systematic review. The research question was as follows: What is the pattern of antibiotic prescription by dentists in the treatment of the different clinical forms of apical periodontitis? A systematic search was conducted on MEDLINE/PubMed, Wiley Online Database, Web of Science and Scopus. All studies reporting data about the pattern of antibiotic prescription by dentists in the treatment of apical disease were included. The meta-analyses were calculated using the Open Meta Analyst version 10.10 software. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed. The risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale. The certainty of evidence was assessed using GRADE. Results: The search strategy identified 96 articles and thirty-nine cross-sectional studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria. The overall percentage of antibiotic prescriptions by dentists in cases of symptomatic AP was 25.8%, and 31.5% in cases of asymptomatic AP with sinus tract present. The percentage of dentists prescribing antibiotics in cases of acute apical abscess with no/mild symptoms was 47.7%, whereas, in cases of acute apical abscess with moderate/severe symptoms, 88.8% of dentists would prescribe antibiotics. Endodontists prescribe antibiotics at a lower rate than general practitioners. The total risk of bias was considered moderate, and the final rating for the certainty of the evidence was low. Conclusions: Dentists worldwide are over-prescribing antibiotics in the management of apical disease. It is necessary to improve antibiotic prescribing habits in the treatment of endodontic infections, as well as educational initiatives to encourage the rational and appropriate prescription of antibiotics in periapical diseases.

Aim. To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis according to the following PICO question: in extracted human permanent teeth, does preflaring, compared with unflared canals, influence the accuracy of WL determination with EAL? Material and Methods. A systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA checklist, using the following databases: PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus, and Web of Science. Studies related to WL determination using EAL both in preflared and unflared root canals of extracted human teeth were included. The outcome of interest was the accuracy of the electronic WL determination. A quality assessment of the included studies was performed, determining the risk of bias. The meta-analyses were calculated with the 5.4 RevMan software using the inverse variance method with random effects. PROSPERO registration: CRD42021243412. Results. Ten experimental studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria, and most of them found that preflaring increases the accuracy of the EALs in WL determination. The calculated OR was 1.98 (95% CI = 1.65–2.37; p < 0.00001; I² = 10%), indicating that the determination of WL by EALs is almost twice as accurate in preflared canals. The accuracy of Root ZX in WL determination increases more than three times (OR = 3.25; p < 0.00001). Preflaring with Protaper files significantly increases the accuracy of EALs (OR = 1.76; p < 0.00001). The total risk of bias of the included studies was low. No obvious publication bias was observed. Conclusions. The results indicate a significant increase in the accuracy of WL determination with EAL after preflaring, doubling the percentage of exact measurements. Preflaring should be recommended as an important step during mechanical enlargement of the root canal, not only because it improves the access of the files to the canal, but also because it allows one to obtain more accurate electronic determinations of WL.

Background. Post-treatment apical periodontitis (PAP) is a frequent consequence of root canal treatment (RCT) failure, often caused by untreated missed canals in root-filled teeth (RFT). While cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) has been used to find these missed canals, the results are controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the association between PAP in RFT and missed canals detected via CBCT. Methods. Two independent reviewers searched PubMed, Scopus, Dialnet, and SciELO for relevant articles published up until 17 February 2025. The main outcome was the prevalence of PAP in RFT with and without missed canals detected via CBCT. The overall odds ratio (OR) was calculated using a binary random effects model meta-analysis (OpenMeta Analyst). Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle–Ottawa Scale, and certainty was evaluated using GRADE. Results. Eight cross-sectional studies (9983 RFT) were included in the review. The pooled prevalence of PAP was significantly higher in RFT with missed canals (85.1%) than those without (56.3%). The meta-analysis showed a strong association between missed canals and PAP (OR = 7.17, 95% CI = 4.55–11.29), indicating a sevenfold increased likelihood. Maxillary molars, especially first molars, most commonly had missed canals. Heterogeneity was high (I² = 86%), and evidence certainty was low, due to methodological limitations. Conclusions. Untreated missed canals significantly increase the likelihood of PAP in RFT, highlighting the need for thorough canal detection and treatment. Clinicians should prioritize anatomical knowledge and advanced imaging to minimize treatment failure.

Aim: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to investigate the possible association between smoking habits and the occurrence of root-filled teeth (RFT) extraction. Material and Methods: The Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome (PICO) question was in adult patients who had RFT, does the absence or presence of smoking habits affect the prevalence of extracted RFT? Systematic MEDLINE/PubMed, Wiley Online Database, Web of Science, and PRISMA protocol was used to evaluate and present the results. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) system was used for certainty in the evidence. The risk of bias was assessed according to Cochrane Collaboration common scheme for bias and ROBINS-I tool. Cumulative meta-analysis was performed with a random effects model. PROSPERO registration code: CRD42020165279. Results: After search strategy, 571 articles were recovered, seven were selected for full-text analysis, and two reported data on inclusion criteria, including 516 RFT, 351 in non-smokers, and 165 in smoker subjects. The meta-analysis provided an odds ratio indicating significant association between smoking and the prevalence of extracted RFT (OR = 3.43, 95% CI = 1.17–10.05, p = 0.02, I² = 64%). The certainty of the literature assessment was low per GRADE. Both studies were considered as moderate risk of bias. Conclusions: Tobacco smoking should be considered a negative prognostic factor for the outcome of root canal treatment, although the quality of the evidence is low. RFT of smoking patients are three times more likely to be extracted. Continuing to smoke after endodontic treatment may increase the risk of treatment failure. However, the overall strength of evidence is low. This must be considered a limitation of the present study and the conclusion should be valued with caution.

Background: Atherosclerosis is a chronic and progressive condition of the arteries, characterized by the thickening and hardening of their walls due to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Low-grade inflammation is implicated in the pathogeny of atherosclerosis. Chronic apical periodontitis (CAP), the chronic inflammation around the root apex of infected teeth, is associated with a low-grade inflammatory state, and thus a connection between atherosclerosis and CAP has been suggested. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis to answer the following PICO question: In adult patients, does the presence or absence of atherosclerosis affect the prevalence of CAP? Methods: The PRISMA guidelines were followed to carry out this systematic review, which was registered in PROSPERO (651359). A bibliographic search was performed in PubMed-MEDLINE, Embase, and Scielo. The inclusion criteria selected studies presenting data on the prevalence of CAP in patients diagnosed with atherosclerosis and control patients. The statistical analysis was carried out using RevMan software v.5.4. The study characteristics and risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale, which was adapted for cross-sectional studies. To estimate variance and heterogeneity between trials, the Higgins I2 test was used. The quality of the evidence was evaluated using GRADE. Results: The search strategy recovered 102 articles, and only five met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis showed an overall OR = 2.94 (95% CI = 1.83–4.74; p < 0.01) for the prevalence of CAP among patients with atherosclerosis. The overall risk of bias was moderate. The quality of the evidence showed a low level of certainty. Conclusions: Patients with atherosclerosis are almost three times more likely to have CAP. This finding supports the hypothesis that chronic inflammatory processes in the oral cavity could significantly impact cardiovascular health, emphasizing the importance of an integrated approach to oral and systemic health care. This result should be translated to daily clinical practice, and the healthcare community should be aware of this association and suspect atherosclerotic pathology in patients who show a high prevalence of CAP. Likewise, patients with atherosclerosis should be monitored in the dental clinic for CAP.

Background. Atherosclerosis is a chronic and progressive condition of the arteries, characterized by the thickening and hardening of their walls due to the formation of atherosclerotic plaques. Low-grade inflammation is implicated in the pathogeny of atherosclerosis. Chronic apical periodontitis (CAP), the chronic inflammation around the root apex of infected teeth, is associated with a low-grade inflammatory state, so a connection between atherosclerosis and CAP have been suggested. The aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review with meta-analysis to answer the following PICO question: In adult patients, does the presence or absence of atherosclerosis affect the prevalence of CAP? Methods. The PRISMA guidelines were followed to carry out this systematic review. A bibliographic search was performed in PubMed-MEDLINE, Embase, and Scielo. Inclusion criteria selected the studies presenting data on the prevalence of CAP in patients diagnosed with atherosclerosis and control patients. The statistical analysis was carried out using RevMan software. Study characteristics and risk ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed. Risk of bias was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa scale, adapted for cross-sectional studies. To estimate variance and heterogeneity between trials, the Higgins I² test was used. The quality of the evidence was evaluated using GRADE. Results. The search strategy recovered 102 articles, and only five met the inclusion criteria. Meta-analysis showed and overall OR = 2.94 (95% CI = 1.83 – 4.74; p < 0.01) for the prevalence of CAP among patients with atherosclerosis. The overall risk of bias was moderate. The quality of the evidence showed a low level of certainty. Conclusions. Patients with atherosclerosis are almost three times more likely to have CAP. This finding supports the hypothesis that chronic inflammatory processes in the oral cavity could significantly impact cardiovascular health, emphasizing the importance of an integrated approach to oral and systemic health care. This result should be translated to daily clinical practice: the healthcare community should be aware of this association and suspect atherosclerotic pathology in patients who show a high prevalence of CAP. Likewise, patients with atherosclerosis should be monitored in the dental clinic for CAP.