The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and frequency of apical periodontitis and root fillings in 450 institutionalized Brazilian elderly. The teeth with apical periodontitis were assessed using the Periapical Index (PAI) score. A total of 942 teeth were evaluated in 98 subjects (57 females and 41 males) with mean age of 74 years. The observed frequency of total edentulous subjects was high (76%) in this population. A total of 126 teeth showed root fillings, of these only 46 (36.5%) were scored as having adequate quality. Apical periodontitis was found in 114 teeth (12.1%) in 42 (42.9%) subjects. 80 (70.2%) inadequate root-filled teeth showed apical periodontitis. There was a significant correlation between the presence of periapical pathology and inadequate root-filled teeth. Inadequate root-filled teeth were associated with an increased prevalence of apical periodontitis in these subjects. This fact may result in increased endodontic retreatment needs for this population.
apical periodontitis; elderly; Endodontics; epidemiology; radiology