Document Type : Original Articles

Abstract

Introduction: The tooth pulp reacts to local and systemic stimulation, which might appear as calcified centers or pulp stones. The prevalence of pulp stones has been reported to be different in different studies. The present study was conducted to assess the prevalence of pulp stones in patients referring to Isfahan Dental School. Materials and methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, all the digital panoramic radiographs in the archives of the Department of Radiology of Isfahan Dental School were assessed and 500 radiographs which met the inclusion criteria were included in the study and evaluated based on tooth number, sex and age of the patients. Data were recorded in special forms and analyzed using SPSS 11.5 with chi-squared test, Fisher's exact test and Spearman's rank correlation (α=0.05). Results: The prevalence of pulp stones was estimated at 25.6%, with 27.2% and 24.5% in males and females, respectively. There was no significant predilection for any sex (p value = 0.488). The difference between the right and left sides was not significant (p value = 0.680); however, chi-squared test showed a significantly higher prevalence in maxillary teeth compared to the mandibular teeth (p value = 0.001). In addition, Fisher's exact test revealed significant differences between different age groups (p value < 0.001). Conclusion: Under the limitations of the present study, there were no significant differences in the prevalence of pulp stones between the two sides and the two genders; however, there was a higher prevalence in the maxilla compared to the mandible. Subjects with pulp stones had higher mean ages than those without pulp stones.   Key words: Digital radiography, Panoramic, Pulp stone.