Relationship between periapical and periodontal status

The purpose of the present investigation was to explore possible relationships between clinical periodontal status in periodontally involved teeth with and without endodontic infection. The investigation was conducted as a retrospective study on a consecutive referral population. The periapical conditions in endodontically-involved single-rooted teeth from a selected patient sample were evaluated and correlated to their periodontal status. There was a significant correlation between periapical pathology and vertical bony destructions. An intra-individual comparison between pocket depth in teeth with and without periapical pathology showed that periapical pathology was significantly correlated to an increased pocket depth in the absence of a vertical bony destruction. It was concluded that an endodontic infection, evident as a periapical radiolucency, promotes periodontal pocket-formation on an instrumented marginal root surface and, consequently, should be regarded as a risk factor in periodontitis progression and be given appropriate consideration in periodontal treatment planning.