Prevalence of Pulp Stones in the Population of Rajasthan: A Cross-Sectional Study in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Cureus. 2024 Jan 3;16(1):e51623. doi: 10.7759/cureus.51623. eCollection 2024 Jan.

Abstract

Introduction This study aimed to use radiography to determine the prevalence of pulp stones in the population of Rajasthan and to evaluate the relationship between pulp stones and tooth status, type, age, and gender. Methods The radiograph data record files collected from the Department of Dentistry, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, from September 2018 to October 2019, had a total of 9918 diagnostic quality intraoral periapical radiographs. One examiner examined all the radiographs to identify pulp stones and associated factors. Pearson chi-square test of significance was used for statistical analysis. Results On screening, a total of 889 intraoral periapical radiographs were found to have pulp stones. The presence of pulp stones was significantly higher in mandibular molars (68%) and was more common in the age group of 31-45 years (37%), followed by 13-29 years (35%). Maximum of pulp stones were of attached type (64%) than free pulp stones. Conclusion The prevalence of pulp stones in the population of Rajasthan studied is 8.9%, which is much lower than the reported prevalence in the literature. Pulp stones are predominantly attached and found significantly more often in mandibular molars in the age group of 31-44 years.

Keywords: dental calcifications; intraoral periapical radiographs; pulp stones; rajasthan population; root canal therapy.