Prevalence of Pulp Stones in Libyan Subpopulation: A Panoramic Radiographic Study

Abstract

The aims of this study were to evaluate the prevalence of pulp stones in permanent posterior teeth of a group of adult Libyan dental patients using digital panoramic radiographs. Materials and Methods: Panoramic radiographs of 1200 adult patients (600 females and 600 males) were examined retrospectively to determine the prevalence and distribution of the pulp stones. All posterior teeth were investigated except third molars, and the data obtained were recorded as present or absent according to gender, tooth types, dental arches, sides and dental status (intact, restored, or carious). The Chi-square test was used for difference comparisons (P<0.05). Results: Of the 1200 patients, 363 (30.2%) had one or more teeth that contained pulp stones. Pulp stones were detected in 1402 of the 16738 teeth, to give a tooth prevalence of 8.4%. Pulp stones were discovered in 9.2% of females and 7.5% of males, with a highly significant difference between the genders (P<0.0001). Pulp stones were more prevalent in the maxillary arch (10.3%) than in the mandibular arch (6.5%), with a significant difference between arches. Pulp stones were most frequently occurring in right maxillary first molars (24.6%) and least occurring in left maxillary first premolars (0.1%). Pulp stones prevalence was significantly more common in the first molars than second molars, in the molars than premolars in each dental arch, and in the first maxillary molar than first mandibular molars. Pulp stones were detected more frequently in the intact teeth than in carious and restored teeth. Conclusion: The occurrence of pulp stones in this study was significantly higher in females than males, in maxillary teeth than in mandibular teeth, molars than premolars, first maxillary molars than mandibular molars and in intact teeth than restored and carious teeth.

Prevalence and Association of Calcified Pulp Stones with Periodontitis: A Cone-Beam Computed Tomography Study in Saudi Arabian Population

“…[ 8 19 22 24 33 ] Only a few studies showed a greater number of the PS on the right side of the arch. [ 7 20 23 ] However, none of the studies showed any significant association with the PS regarding the side of the arch, which is also supporting the current outcome.…”

“…There were many studies conducted in the past for PS identification using radiographic records. [ 19-21 23-25 28 29 ] However, most of the studies used traditional 2D radiographs such as panoramic, periapical, and bitewing. The diameter of the PS needs to be a minimum of 200 μm to detect in the 2D radiographs.…”

“…[ 8 19 21 24 33 ] On the contrary, a few studies reported that females were more prevalent in PS and showed significant association in the presence of PS. [ 15 20 22 23 29 ] This different outcome might be due to the different ethnic backgrounds and inclusion of more female patients than their counterparts. Another study on the Saudi Arabian population showed a similar outcome to the current study where male patients were more prevalently included and identified more PS in male patients.…”

“…In addition, the prevalence of PS was assessed previously in different populations in the different studies which exhibited various outcomes. [ 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 ] These variations in prevalence between populations could be the result of ethnic and geographical disparities. As per the literature search, no study has compared the prevalence of PS in Saudi populations related to the stages of periodontitis.…”

Cone-Beam Computed Tomography-Based Investigation of the Prevalence and Distribution of Pulp Stones and Their Relation to Local and Systemic Factors in the Makkah Population: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…In Turkey, Tassoker et al [5] identified pulp stones in 52% of the subjects and 7.7% of the teeth, while Sezgin et al [29] found that 24.2% of the patients and 3.3% of teeth had at least one pulp stone. In Libya, Alawjali [30] discovered pulp stones in 30.2% of the patients and 8.4% of the teeth. However, a study by Hsieh et al [13] on a Taiwanese population revealed a higher prevalence of pulp stones, than the present study, in 83.3% of the subjects and 31.3% of the of the teeth.…”