Radiographic and clinical estimation of endodontic treatment need

The purpose of this investigation was to examine the relationship between the need for endodontic treatment found by radiographic examination, and the actual treatment received by patients in an undergraduate endodontic clinic. The material consisted of 610 teeth in 387 patients. The need for endodontic treatment was detected in radiographs in 39% of the teeth, during operative procedures in 39%, and during the planning for prosthetic treatment in 22% of the cases. The relationship among these three means of detection was found to vary with age and tooth type. However, in all groups, less than half the actual need for endodontic treatment was revealed by radiographic examination alone.