Erhabor Paul¹*, Osaghae Ifueko Patience², Tagar Princess Faith³ and Odianosen-Ayewoh Ann Amiejayo⁴

¹Consultant Periodontologist, Department of Restorative Dentistry, Dental Centre, Edo Specialist Hospital, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
²Consultant Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon, Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dental Centre, Edo Specialist Hospital, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
³Dental Officer, Department of Restorative Dentistry, Dental Centre, Edo Specialist Hospital, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
⁴Dental Officer, Department of Preventive Dentistry, Irrua Specialist Teaching Hospital, Edo State, Nigeria

*Corresponding Author: Erhabor Paul, Consultant Periodontologist, Department of Restorative Dentistry, Dental Centre, Edo Specialist Hospital, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria.

Received: April 16, 2026; Published: May 28, 2026

Longstanding, untreated traumatic dental injuries and dental caries are significant causes of periapical pathology. In resource-constrained settings, delayed presentation of such incidents as traumatic dental injuries and dental caries is common leading to complications and escalating the complexity of management from simple restoration to advanced endodontic or surgical intervention. This article highlighted the clinical presentation, diagnosis and management of neglected traumatized/infected teeth in a secondary health center in Benin-city, Edo state, Nigeria. It reported two cases of periapical pathologies in a 34-year old male and a 38-year old male who presented with complications arising from longstanding dental traumatic injury and untreated dental caries respectively. The duration between initial injury or onset of caries and presentation ranged from 5 to10 years. Clinical, radiographic and histological findings revealed periapical pathologies (radicular cyst in the case involving the 34-year old male and periapical granuloma in the case involving the 38-year old male). The affected teeth were managed using appropriate intervention such as incision and drainage of abscess, enucleation, apicoectomy with root end closure, root canal therapy and restoration with full coverage crowns to restore aesthetics and function, extraction and curretage. Adjunctive pharmacological therapy and follow up evaluations were also conducted to monitor outcomes. Both cases demonstrated clinical resolution of lesions following treatments. This case series highlighted significant periapical complications associated with delayed care following traumatic dental injury and dental caries but also demonstrated that effective management can be achieved with appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic protocols. In conclusion, longstanding dental trauma and untreated caries may result in significant periapical pathologies Authors thereby recommend early presentation, diagnosis, timely intervention, improved oral health awareness and strengthened access to dental care to prevent avoidable complications.

Keywords: Traumatic Dental Injury; Dental Caries; Periapical Pathologies

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Citation

Citation: Erhabor Paul1., et al. “Management of Apical Consequences of Longstanding Dental Traumatic Injury and Dental Caries in The Dental Clinic: Events From A Secondary Healthcare Facility in Benin City, Nigeria". Acta Scientific Dental Sciences 10.6 (2026): 17-22.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Erhabor Paul1., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.