Background
Apical periodontitis is an inflammatory condition around the root of a tooth, caused by infection within the root canal system. This inflammation can heal if bacteria in the root canal are eliminated through root canal treatment. A number of factors may influence the treatment outcome, including tooth anatomy, the quality of the root filling, and the patient’s general health.
Aim
This project aims to evaluate the outcomes of root canal treatments performed at the University Clinic for Oral Health between 2008 and 2023, and to identify factors that may increase the risk of treatment failure.
Study population
The dataset is derived from the dental records of all patients who have received root canal treatment at the University Clinic for Oral Health in the period 2008–2023. These data include information on clinical findings, diagnoses, treatment procedures, and follow-up examinations, as well as associated radiographic images.
To assess whether patients’ general health status affects treatment outcomes, the project will obtain selected health information from the Norwegian Patient Registry, the Norwegian Prescription Database, and the Cancer Registry of Norway.
Data security and privacy
All data will be stored and processed in a de-identified form using the Services for Sensitive Data (TSD) platform. The linkage key is stored separately within TSD, in an area physically and logically separated from the research data, with strictly controlled access.
Approvals
The project has been approved by the Regional Committees for Medical and Health Research Ethics (REK) (ref. 64996), Sikt – Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research (ref. 281842), and the Norwegian Health Data Service (ref. H-528-E).
Rights of the data subjects
The project has been granted an exemption from the duty of confidentiality and from the obligation to provide information/obtain consent in order to access health information. However, the rights of the data subjects remain fully applicable. This means that individuals have the right of access, rectification, erasure, restriction of processing, notification, and objection, to the extent that it is possible to identify them in the dataset.
