Does tobacco smoking predispose to apical periodontitis and endodontic treatment need? A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract

BackgroundControversial findings exist in the literature regarding the association between tobacco smoking and development of apical periodontitis or need for root canal treatment, with some studies reporting an increase in the prevalence of these outcomes in smokers, whilst others reporting no association.AimTo evaluate if there is scientific evidence to support an association between tobacco smoking and a greater prevalence of apical periodontitis and/or root canal treatments.Data SourcesA systematic search was performed using MeSH terms and free terms in the PubMed, Scopus, Virtual Health Library (VHL), Cochrane library and Open Gray databases.Study Eligibility Criteria, Participants and InterventionsObservational studies that evaluated the association between smoking and the development or healing of periapical lesion and/or the prevalence of root canal treatment in humans were included.Study Appraisal and Synthesis MethodsA quality assessment of included studies was performed, and the relevant information and findings were evaluated. A meta‐analysis using nine included studies was performed through RevMan software, and the certainty of evidence was evaluated through GRADE.ResultsFifteen studies were included, of which 10 were classified as low risk of bias, 4 were considered as moderate risk of bias and 1 as high risk of bias. Ten studies reported that smoking was associated with a greater prevalence of periapical periodontitis and/or root canal treatment. Five studies reported no association. Nine studies were included in the pooled meta‐analysis, comprising two subgroups: apical periodontitis and root canal treatment. From these nine studies, eight studies were included in the apical periodontitis subgroup meta‐analysis and demonstrated that this condition was significantly more prevalent in smokers when compared to the nonsmokers (odds ratio = 2.78[CI: 1.60, 4.85], P < 0.001; I2 = 79%; no adjusted odds ratio). Three studies were included in the root canal treatment subgroup meta‐analysis and demonstrated an increased prevalence in smokers when compared to the nonsmokers (odds ratio = 2.73 [CI: 1.06, 2.83], P < 0.001; I2 = 72%; no adjusted odds ratio). The pooled meta‐analysis demonstrated that smokers had twice the chance of having apical periodontitis and/or root canal treatment when compared to nonsmokers (odds ratio of 2.42 [CI: 1.59, 3.68], P < 0.01; I2 = 85%). The GRADE analysis demonstrated moderate certainty of evidence.LimitationsSeveral confounding factors were identified such as misinformation regarding the period of time subjects had smoked, as well as the frequency of smoking and the number of cigarettes consumed. No adjustment in odds ratio data for confounding was performed.Conclusions and Implications of Key FindingsThis systematic review and meta‐analysis indicate that tobacco smokers have an increased prevalence of periapical periodontitis and root canal treatments with moderate certainty of evidence.

Association between cardiovascular diseases and apical periodontitis: an umbrella review

“…2019, Pinto et al . 2020). Similarly, several other studies have reported that genetic predisposition may also influence the development of CVDs (Bis et al .…”

Root canal treatment of compromised teeth as alternative treatment for patients receiving bisphosphonates: 60‐month results of a prospective clinical study

“…A higher prevalence of periapical radiolucencies in smoking patients has been described with moderate evidence in a recent systematic review (Pinto et al . 2020a). Smoking was also significantly associated with a negative tooth survival status when comparing root canal treatment performed in BPs patients and treatment performed in healthy patients (as shown in Table 5).…”

Effects of alcohol and nicotine consumption on the development of apical periodontitis in rats: a correlative micro‐computed tomographic, histological and immunohistochemical study

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