Prevalence of Chronic Pulpitis among 13 to 17 Year Old Pediatric Patients Visiting Private Dental Institution in Chennai : A Retrospective Study

Introduction: Pulpitis is a debilitating inflammation of the pulp of the tooth. Bacteria infiltrate the pulp of the tooth, causing it to swell. It may affect one or more teeth. Pulpitis comes in two varieties - acute and chronic. Chronic pulpitis is a long-term inflammation of the pulp tissue that results in permanent  damage to the reliability of the pulp tissue. Aim: To assess the prevalence of chronic pulpitis among 13 to 17 year old pediatric patients visiting the private dental institution in Chennai. Materials and Methods: Case sheets of patients were obtained from Record management system software for analysis. Patients with chronic pulpitis within the age group 13 to 17 were selected and the sample size was found to be n = 165 patients. The collected data was then tabulated for statistical analysis using SPSS. Results: From the results obtained in our study , chronic pulpitis was most prevalent in females with age of 16 particularly in mandibular molars  (16.97% in 36 and 13.94% in 46). Conclusion: Within the limitations of the study it can be concluded that mandibular molars were commonly affected due to chronic pulpitis and by knowing the prevalence and pathophysiology of chronic pulpitis, dental clinicians can prevent the progression of this condition.