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Friedman S, Abitbol S et al. J Endodon 2003; 29: 787–793

Endodontic treatment was performed by supervised graduate students for 405 teeth in 350 patients. After 4-6 yrs, 109 patients with 128 teeth could not be contacted for follow-up; a further 136 teeth were not available because patients declined the invitation despite the offer of financial compensation for attendance, and a further 21 teeth had been extracted for various reasons. In respect of pre-operative apical radiolucency, the dropouts and responders did not differ significantly (P > 0.7).

In the remaining 120 teeth, of which 97 were healed without apical periodontitis, the potential prognostic factors examined were the number of roots, periapical radiolucency, pulp vitality, lateral or vertical condensation of gutta percha and the presence of a temporary or definitive seal. Stepwise logistic regression analysis showed that only the presence of a pre-existent radiolucency was likely to predict failure (OR = 3.7). Significantly fewer multi-rooted than single-rooted teeth were healed when a radiolucency was present before treatment, though this factor did not predict the outcome.