The Prevalence of Root Resorption in a Sample of Orthodontic Patients Treated in Private Clinics in Sulaimani City/ A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Objective: Root resorption is an inevitable consequence of orthodontic treatment. This retrospective study aimed to determine theprevalence of root resorption secondary to orthodontic treatment in private clinics in Sulaimani City, Iraq and to compare the difference in the amount of root resorption between varying teeth, regions of the mouth, and the upper and lower arches in order to lessen or eliminate unsolicited and undue impediments. Methods: Among the 465 cases with available data, treated in private clinics of the participating practitioners, only 92 were fullyeligible for study. Pre-operative lateral cephalograms were measured using Eastman Analysis on WebCeph. A customized frame wascreated on AutoCAD and pre and post-operative orthopantomograms were measured for root resorption only if they fitted into theframe. Intra and inter-observer reliability were performed to ensure optimal accuracy in the measurements. The millimetermeasurements of root resorption were converted into percentages to identify the prevalence of root resorption in Sulaimani City. Results: The root resorption in the different individual teeth resulted in a significant relationship with orthodontic treatment. Factorssuch as age, gender, and duration of treatment were not significantly associated with root resorption. The results of the upper and lower arches indicated no significant differences between the arches. The incisors showed more significant resorption when compared to canines. Conclusions: Orthodontic treatment affects the prevalence and severity of root resorption. Age, gender, and duration of treatment have no significant relation with apical root resorption. Different regions of the mouth encounter varying degrees of apical root resorption. Even in the anterior teeth, incisors are more prone to resorption than canines.