Aim

To evaluate radiographically endodontic treatments performed in the posterior area of the oral cavity and compare the frequency of acceptability in each tooth involved.

Materials and methods

5,000 archival radiographs of endodontic treatments performed between 2005 and 2019 on mandibular and maxillary premolars and molars in Argentina were evaluated. The percentages of correct and incorrect treatments were considered according to 1) shaping of the preparation; 2) apical limit of the obturation; 3) homogeneity of the obturation. The absolute and relative frequencies of correct and incorrect treatments were calculated. The association between these frequencies and tooth type was analyzed using the chi-square test and Cramer’s V coefficient. For the comparison between groups of teeth, the partition of the chi-square value obtained in the corresponding degrees of freedom was used. Level of significance was P<0.05.

Results

The partition of the chi-square value did not show a significant difference between the first and second lower premolars. The differences were significant in the other comparisons.

Conclusions

A high percentage of the endodontic treatments in the study population have at least one condition warranting their classification as incorrect according to the criteria established in this study. This percentage is more prevalent in complex anatomies.