Periapical surgery of 31 lower molars based on the ultrasound technique and retrograde filling with silver amalgam.

The introduction of ultrasound root-end preparation for preparing apical cavities in periapical surgery has simplified surgery and facilitated retrograde filling with silver amalgam. The technique is particularly useful in application to molars in which root apex access is more difficult. A study was made comprising 31 patients subjected to periapical surgery of a total of 31 mandibular molars. No intraoperative complications were observed, and the only relevant postoperative complications were transient paresthesias of the mental nerve in two cases and an intraoral fistula in another. Only three failures were recorded after a minimum follow-up of one year, with complete clinical healing in 90.4%. Radiologically manifest healing was complete in 54.8% of cases and incomplete or partial in 32.3% - no healing being observed in 12.9%.