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Bertl K, Suljkanovic N et al. J Clin Periodontol 2015; 42: 520–529

The outcome of a perforation of the root when preparing a dowel results invariably in marginal periodontal tissue destruction. But this is an extreme violation of the periodontal ligament. What if the involvement of this structure is minor, such as following a root filling? The results of previous studies are equivocal as to whether or not a satisfactory root filling is associated with marginal periodontitis. In this study, after taking into account factors such as the degree the coronal restoration encroached on the gingival domain, there were no differences between marginal periodontal tissue destruction (measured using BoP, PD, CAL) in single-rooted teeth that were root-treated and control teeth that were not root-treated, before or after non-surgical periodontal treatment. This was a retrospective split-mouth study, in which the dental records of 175 patients were interrogated. In other studies that included multi-rooted teeth that had been root-treated, the observation of marginal periodontal tissue breakdown could be associated with accessory canals at the furcation.