Endodontic treatment during childhood and adolescence. A survey of 19-year-olds living in the city of Malmö, Sweden.

The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence and reasons for endodontic treatment in a sample of 19-year-old adolescents living in the city of Malmö, Sweden. Dental records and available radiographs of all 19-year-olds (1,971) registered at the 20 Public Dental Service (PDS) clinics in Malmö were reviewed and data were collected on the following: endodontic treatment, number and type of teeth involved, and diagnosis leading to treatment. Endodontic treatment had been performed in 180 (9.1%) patients. The percentage of 19-year-olds at a PDS clinic who had undergone such treatment varied between 1.2% and 25.2%. One tooth had been treated endodontically in 138 (76.7%) of these patients. In three patients four teeth and in two patients five teeth had needed treatment. The molars were the teeth most frequently treated (46.5%), followed by the anteriors (39.5%), and the premolars (14.0%). The most commonly treated tooth was the maxillary central incisor and the most common diagnosis was caries (56.4%) followed by trauma (22.2%) and tooth developmental disturbances (1.6%). In conclusion, endodontic treatment seems to be fairly common among 19-year-olds in the city of Malmö. The great variation seen between the different PDS clinics most likely reflected variations in the socio-economic structure of the catchment areas of the clinics.