Correlation between clinical and histopathological diagnoses in periapical inflammatory lesions.

AIM: The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the correlation between clinical and histopathological diagnoses of periapical inflammatory lesions, focusing mainly on cystic conditions.

METHODS

Files dating from 1998 to 2006 at the Oral Pathology Laboratory, School of Dentistry, Alfenas Federal University, Brazil, were reviewed to identify cases with histopathological diagnoses of periapical inflammatory lesions. A total of 1788 files were analyzed, and 255 cases were identified with clinical diagnoses of periapical inflammatory lesions.

RESULTS

The most prevalent clinical diagnosis was apical periodontal cyst (59%), followed by periapical granuloma (20%), and dentoalveolar abscess (2%). After histopathological analysis, 53% of the cases represented apical periodontal cyst, 42% periapical granuloma, and 5% dentoalveolar abscess.

CONCLUSIONS

The outcomes of the present study show a high prevalence of periapical cysts among periapical inflammatory lesions. Moreover, this study highlights the importance of histopathological evaluation for the correct diagnosis of periapical inflammatory lesions.