Abstract: Objective To evaluate postoperative clinical efficacy of root canal therapy for elderly diabetes patients with apical periodontitis. Methods 94 patients who needed root canal therapy were divided into two groups, one group with 47 patients were diabetic while the other group with 47 patients were non-diabetic. Then postoperative pain condition and 6-months clinical efficacy were observed. Results Postoperative pain and 6-months clinical efficacy were no significant difference between diabetic patients and non-diabetic patients (P>0.05); Diabetic patients with good control of blood glucose had higher efficiency than those with poor control (P<0.05). Conclusions With good control of blood glucose, root canal therapy can effectively treat the elderly diabetes patients with apical periodontitis.

Key words: Diabetes, Apical periodontitis, Root canal therapy, Clinical efficacy