GENERAL DENTAL PRACTITIONERS’ KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE ON ROOT CANAL TREATMENT

Abstract

Background: Majority of root canal treatment in Malaysia was provided by general dental practitioner. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and practice (canal’s preparation, use of materials) by them. Methods: A questionnaire was structured and distributed to 120 registered general dental practitioners in selected areas in Perak, Johor and Klang Valley regarding the provision of root canal therapy in their practices. The questionnaires were hand delivered and collected after 1 to 2 weeks. Results: Reply rate was 95% (n=114). The result demonstrated that 62% respondents indicated that they performed the root canal therapy (RCT) themselves. Out of these only 26% included molars in the treatment. Three quarters of them (77%) used step-back technique and 54% used stainless steel instruments to prepare the canals. The majority of the respondents (69%) used calcium hydroxide as intracanal medicaments. Only 30% used rubber dam for isolation whereas the rest used cotton rolls. The numbers of routine radiographs taken were two for anterior teeth and three for molar. Half of the respondents indicated that they usually completed the RCT for the anterior tooth within two visits whereas three visits were needed for the molar tooth. The results were analyzed descriptively. Conclusions: This study indicates that most of the general dental practitioners’ do not comply with quality standards guidelines such as use of rubber dam as isolation. Cotton roll was the most popular isolation method. In spite of this, most of the respondents tend to update their knowledge and practices with current techniques and materials.