Effect of Endodontic Treatment on Flow Mediated Dilatation and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness in Patients With Apical Periodontitis: A Prospective Intervention Study

Abstract

Objective- The objective of this study is to investigate the effect of endodontic treatment on Flow mediated dilatation (FMD) and carotid intima-media thickness (c-IMT) in patients with apical periodontitis (AP). Material and method- The study includes 32 young men having AP with mean age of 25.78 years free from cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its risk factors including periodontitis. All subjects underwent complete physical and dental examination, echocardiography and ultrasound assessment of FMD on brachial artery and c-IMT on carotid artery at baseline and 12 months after the endodontic treatment. Data were analysed using Paired student t test and Pearson correlation coefficient (r) test using SPSS 26 version. Results-Endodontic treatment leads to the improvement of FMD significantly from a pooled baseline value of 4.84±1.55% to 7.68±2.08% (p<0.05). The study also depicts statistical significant difference between c-IMT (mean=0.62 ± 0.11 mm) before treatment as compared to 12 months after treatment (mean=0.59 ± 0.11mm)(p<0.05). Conclusion-Endodontic treatment leads to improved FMD and decreased c-IMT suggesting that treating AP can be helpful in reverting early stages of CVD. Clinical relevance-AP could be a potential etiological factor of future CVD and should be treated as soon as diagnosed.