Endodontic epidemiology and treatment outcome: general considerations

作者：HARALD MARTIN ERIKSEN, Lise‐Lotte Kirkevang, Kerstin Petersson · 发表于：Endodontic Topics · 年份：2002 · DOI：10.1034/j.1601-1546.2002.20101.x · 被引用次数：178 · 研究领域：Endodontics and Root Canal Treatments、Dental Radiography and Imaging、Oral microbiology and periodontitis research

Epidemiology, general considerationsEpidemiology is the study of distribution of diseases, their prevalence and determinants in man (1).Consequently, the aim of endodontic epidemiology is primarily to gain knowledge of distribution and prevalence of apical periodontitis and its determinants including treatment outcome in different populations evaluated by presence/absence of apical periodontitis. Descriptive/analytical epidemiologyEpidemiology may be divided in a descriptive and an analytical part.The former is applied in order to gain knowledge about distribution and prevalence of a specific disease, in this case apical periodontitis, while the latter focuses on factors that may be associated with the disease.Cross-sectional studies are used primarily for descriptive purposes, while cohort and case/control studies are suited for disclosing disease determinants and etiologic factors (Fig. 1). Associations and causalityDisease determinants include both factors that may be directly (causal factors) and those that may be indirectly (risk factors, predictors) associated with the disease.Consequently, the aim of an epidemiological