Prevalence of External Apical Root Resorption among Sample of Sudanese Orthodontic Patients Treated with Fixed Appliances

Root shortening as a result of apical root resorption is an undesirable consequence of orthodontic treatment. The objective was to determine the prevalence of external apical root resorption in a sample of Sudanese orthodontic patients treated with fixed appliances and to evaluate the association of treatment duration, age, gender and the type of malocclusion on the degree of external apical root resorption. The study sample consisted of 29 patients (8 males, 21 females) after completion of orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances. External root resorption in all teeth groups (except third molars) was evaluated from preand post-treatment panoramic radiographs. The association of root resorption with treatment duration, age, gender and the type of malocclusion was tested by independent ttest with level of significance set at p ≤ 0.05. Maxillary incisors were the most commonly affected teeth with resorption 16 (55.2%) while the mandibular premolars 2(6.9%) and molars 1(3.4%) were the least affected teeth on both maxillary and mandibular arches. Root resorption was significantly associated with age group (p < 0.05), no associations were found between the degrees of root resorption treatment duration, gender, and the type of malocclusion (p >0.05). The number of subjects enrolled in this study was so limited, yet the facts assembled are quite informative and rather beneficial. It shed some light on the prevalence of external apical root resorption after orthodontic treatment among a group of Sudanese patients