Prevalencia de las enfermedades pulpares en piezas dentales con caries no tratadas mediante el índice PUFA en Latinoamérica.

Abstract

Untreated caries will progress to produce pulpitis that can progress to pulp necrosis. The PUFA/pufa index is an index used to evaluate the presence of oral conditions resulting from untreated cavities. Scores the presence of a visible pulp, ulceration of the oral mucosa due to root fragments, a fistula, or an abscess. The objective was to determine the prevalence of pulp diseases in teeth with untreated caries using the PUFA index in Latin America. A systematic review was carried out that included 20 articles published between 2016 and 2022. Most of them were carried out in Brazil and the research design with the greatest representation was the cross-sectional study with 18. Despite the high prevalence of cavities, the prevalence of the PUFA index is not so high. Most studies reported less than one tooth affected by any of the components of this index. There is usually no correlation between the DMFT/dmft index and the PUFA/pufa index. The prevalence of pulp lesions was higher in primary dentition than in permanent dentition, which could be understood because of the age of the children included in the studies. In all of them, the most prevalent component of the PUFA index was the P/p condition, that is, exposed pulp.