A Survey of Endodontic Protocols Employed by General Dentists, Postgraduate Trainees and Endodontists in Pakistan

Abstract

Objective: The effectiveness of endodontic therapy is reliant upon maintaining treatment standards. The
standard protocols improve the quality of treatment and reduce treatment failure. So, the current study is
employed to explore the endodontic protocols, materials and methods used by general dentists, postgraduate
trainees and endodontists.

Materials and Methods: The survey-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 160 participants
through a well-constructed questionnaire through an online Google drive link distributed to general dentists,
Postgraduate trainees and Endodontists. The study period was 1 month from 1-07-2022 to 31-07-2022. The
individuals who do not give informed consent are excluded from the study. The response form has two main
sections including the demographic details and protocols employed by general dentists, postgraduate
trainees and specialists. Descriptive statistics were calculated as absolute frequencies and valid percentages.
The chi-square test was used to evaluate the effects of education level and endodontic protocols. P value
<0.05 is significant.

Results: Among 160 participants, 70 (43.8%) were male and 90 (56.2%) were female. The majority of
participants were general dentists 98 (61.2%) with experience of <5 years. The use of Suctions was the most
common isolation method 72 (42.4%) and 104 (61.4%) participants prefer NaOCl as an irrigant in the root
canal. There was a significant association between education level and appropriate endodontic protocols
employed in patient care (p<0.05).

Conclusion: The majority of Pakistani general dentists, postgraduate trainees and specialists surveyed in the
current study do not comply with quality standards and guidelines of endodontic treatment.