Association of Unfinished Root Canal Treatments with the Risk of Pneumonia Hospitalization
Journal
Journal of Endodontics
Journal Volume
43
Journal Issue
1
Pages
29-35
Date Issued
2017
Author(s)
Abstract
Introduction The objective of root canal treatments (RCTs) is to control pulpal diseases and salvage infected teeth by eradicating microorganisms within the root canal system. However, an unfinished RCT can leave a space for bacterial accumulation, which can leak into the oral cavity and then aspirate into the lower respiratory tract and the lungs, causing infection. This study investigated the association of unfinished RCTs with the possible risk of pneumonia hospitalization using a nationwide population-based database. Methods After a matching process, we recruited 116,490 subjects who received an initiated RCT and had no history of pneumonia before 2005 and observed until the end of 2011. An unfinished RCT was operationally defined as an endodontic session that was started on a tooth but had no subsequent completion records. Cox proportional hazards models and subgroup analyses were used to estimate the association of unfinished RCTs on the risk of pneumonia hospitalization. Results In total, 1285 subjects were hospitalized for pneumonia during 2005 to 2011 with an overall pneumonia hospitalization incidence rate of 0.22% per person year. After adjusting for confounding factors, the adjusted pneumonia hospitalization hazard ratio for subjects who had unfinished RCTs was 1.40 (95% confidence interval,?1.24–1.59) compared with subjects without unfinished RCTs (P?
Subjects
Pneumonia; survival analysis; Taiwan national health insurance research database; unfinished root canal treatment
SDGs
Other Subjects
adult; bacterial pneumonia; dental pulp cavity; endodontic procedure; female; hospitalization; human; male; microbiology; middle aged; proportional hazards model; risk factor; statistics and numerical data; young adult; Adult; Dental Pulp Cavity; Female; Hospitalization; Humans; Male; Middle Aged; Pneumonia, Bacterial; Proportional Hazards Models; Risk Factors; Root Canal Therapy; Young Adult
Publisher
Elsevier Inc.
Type
journal article