Association between Pulp Stone and Renal Stones: A Case-Control Study

Background: Pulp stones refer to degenerative alterations occurring within the pulp tissue. Pulp stones are common issue for endodontic treatment. Literature is controversial about the association between pulp stone and renal stone.Objective: To determine association between pulp stones and kidney stones in patients reporting to Saidu College of Dentistry, Swat.Materials and Methods: This case-control study conducted at Saidu College of Dentistry in Swat, 70 dental patients were examined between August 1, 2023, and December 5, 2023. The sample size, initially 34, was increased to 70 to enhance study power. Cases included individuals with renal stones, while controls were without renal stones. Panoramic radiographs were taken to identify pulp stones. Exclusions involved medical conditions, and data analysis utilized R software. The chi-square test and logistic regression were employed to assess the association between renal stone and pulp stone, with a significance level set at P=0.05.Results: The mean age was 36.03 ± 10.08 years, with 39 (55.71%) females and 31 (44.29%) males. A statistically significant difference was observed, with a higher proportion of cases having absent pulp stones (n=18, 51.43%) compared to controls (n=28, 80%) [p= 0.023]. The odds of having a present pulp stone are significantly higher in individuals with renal stones (cases) compared to the normal control group (OR: 3.78, 95% CI: 1.35-11.50, p=0.014). No significant difference is observed in the odds of having a present pulp stone between males and females (OR: 1.18, 95% CI: 0.44-3.25, p=0.750). The odds of having a present pulp stone are significantly higher in the 36-50 age group compared to the 18-35 age group (OR: 3.80, 95% CI: 1.28-13.04, p=0.022).Conclusion: A statistically significant association was found between pulp stones and kidney stones. Furthermore, our observations indicate that the prevalence of pulp stones tends to increase with advancing age.Keywords: Dental stone, Kidney stones, Medical conditions, Pulp stones