Demographics, smoking status, and systemic health factors associated with apical periodontitis in a Brazilian rural population: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To determine whether the systemic diseases diabetes mellitus (DM) and arterial hypertension (AH), and smoking status are associated with apical periodontitis (AP) in a representative rural population.

Materials And Methods: Cross-sectional study using a representative sample of individuals obtained from a population-based epidemiological survey carried out in the rural area of the city of Rosário do Sul, RS, Brazil, from March 2015 to May 2016. Data were collected through structured questionnaires and clinical examination.