Assessing the Association Among Smoking, Diabetes Mellitus, and Periapical Status Using Panoramic Radiography

Abstract

Objective: This retrospective case-control study aimed to investigate the association between smoking and radiographically diagnosed apical periodontitis using panoramic radiographs and periapical index (PAI) scoring system. Methods: The records of 75 controls and 75 patients from the Department of Oral Diagnosis and Radiology at Marmara University Dental Faculty, Turkey were selected and studied. Inclusion criteria were as follows: patients who were aged >20 years, had at least eight remaining teeth, and agreed to a complete clinical and radiographic examination. The case group comprised patients who had at least one periapical lesion, which was radiographically detectable in a tooth. The control group included patients who had no radiographically defined periapical lesion in any teeth. Results: In this retrospective case-control study, no statistically significant association was observed between smoking and periapical status (p>0.05). In addition, there was no significant association between diabetes mellitus and apical periodontitis in both control and case groups (p>0.05). Conclusion: As a result, no significant association was found among smoking, diabetes mellitus, and the presence of radiographically detected periapical lesions in this study.