ENDODONTIC SURGERY: A REVIEW OF POSTOPERATIVE AND HEALING OUTCOME

The purpose of this review was to give the reader an update about the postoperative period and healing outcome after surgical endodontic retreatment. Endodontic surgery has become a standard of care for dental maintenance if conventional endodontic retreatment is not able to eliminate the infection, it is important to know how to manage the post-surgical care, due it might directly interfere in the healing outcome after the surgical procedure. An electronic search of the relevant English-language literature was conducted in the MEDLINE/ PubMed database using the following key-words combinations: Postoperative care; apical surgery; apicoectomy; wound healing. Articles from 1980 to 2011 were included. Based on the results of this present review, the postoperative period after the surgery treatment is very mild, without any complications, being similar to any dental surgical discomfort, as swelling, bleeding and pain, which could be easily controlled with simple medicine. Regarding the repair after endodontic surgery, the length of follow-up time and the healing evaluation criteria affect the outcome, and 1-year follow-up periods might be insufficient to predict a long-term healing.

Endodontic retreatment: significance and a systematic review of te major protocols

Introduction: In the endodontic treatment scenario, despite the emergence of techniques and instruments that facilitate the treatment, there are still cases that require retreatment of the treated root canals. Non-surgical endodontic retreatment (NSER) can be performed in one or several visits. Endodontic pain has been the main reason for patient consultations after therapy and affects patient comfort. A condition for successful endodontic retreatment is proper cleaning of the root canals, therefore, special attention must be given to the technique used to remove the filling material, with the most commonly used cement, pastes, and gutta-percha cones. Objective: This systematic review aimed to evaluate the main protocols and techniques for endodontic retreatment. Methods: The present study was followed by a systematic literature review model. Clinical studies were included as case reports, retrospective, prospective and randomized trials with qualitative and/or quantitative analysis. The quality of the studies was based on the GRADE instrument. The risk of bias was analyzed according to the Cochrane instrument. Results and Conclusion: The results showed that cleaning and the presence of debris at a speed of 1500 rpm provided greater agility with a smaller number of fractured instruments. Furthermore, the dynamic navigation system enabled the minimally invasive removal of the fiber post with a high degree of precision, without unnecessary removal of the root structure. One visit NSER had lower postoperative pain than multiple visits only for 1 and 30 days. Ultrasonic tips should be considered a good option for endodontic retreatment, especially for cases of bioceramics. Finally, there is a predominance of E. faecalis and P. gingivalis in all phases of endodontic retreatment.

Conventional Endodontic Retreatment of Persistent Pain on Previously Treated Tooth in an Elderly Patient: A Case Report

Clinical evaluation for a successful root canal treatment is assessed by various criteria, which are clinical, histopathological, and radiographical criteria. Therefore, failure of endodontic treatment can be described as a recurrence of clinical symptoms, with the presence of a periapical radiolucency or both. Failure factors in the treatment are frequently related to persistent infection. Conventional endodontic retreatment is indicated for symptomatic previously treated teeth or asymptomatic teeth with inadequately done initial endodontic treatment to avoid potential recurrence. Endodontic retreatment in elderly patients is a great challenge because the clinician has to reassure both the physical and psychological factors of the patient to determine whether to save a tooth or perform an extraction. Some difficulties may also be found in root canal retreatment, including finding the root canal hole or root canal blockage found in parts of the root canal that have not been repaired in the previous treatment. A 60-year-old female patient came with the chief complaint of recurrent pain, and subjective discomfort in the maxillary left central incisor. The patient had anxiety about the dental treatment. The tooth had a history of root canal treatment four months ago. The clinical examination showed a positive response to the percussion test. The radiographical analysis showed a root canal underfilling, 2-3 mm short of length from the apex. The tooth was diagnosed as a previously treated tooth with symptomatic apical periodontitis. Endodontic retreatment was performed based on the patient’s clinical condition and consent, followed by composite restoration. The clinical and radiographic re-evaluation after four weeks of follow-up revealed an excellent condition. This favorable result showed that a conventional retreatment plan of persistent pain on the previously treated tooth in an elderly patient led to progressive healing, and a longer follow-up was advised.