Attitude and Practice of General Dentists and Specialists about Restoration of Root-Canal Treated Teeth in Southern Saudi Arabia: A Cross-Sectional Survey

Abstract

Background: Due to tooth structure loss from caries, trauma, fracture, prior restorations, and endodontic therapy, all of which lower the tooth’s fracture resistance, restoring teeth that have had endodontic therapy presents a number of challenges. To evaluate the attitude and practice of dentists and specialists in Southern Saudi Arabia regarding the restoration of endodontically treated teeth. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was carried out in Southern Saudi Arabia with a sample of general dentists as well as dental specialists. The questionnaire consisted of 12 items (questions), of which the first few inquired about participants’ demographic data such as age, years of practice, and the rest of the questions were intended to ask regarding their choice and use of restorative options of endodontically treated teeth. Data hence obtained were subjected to statistical analysis using SPSS version 20. Results: A majority of the study dentists (33.8%) prefer tooth-colored crowns to use for endodontically treated anterior teeth when more than 50% of the tooth structure is remaining. Nearly 29.7% believed to use of prefabricated post and tooth-colored crowns for endodontically treated anterior teeth when <50% of the tooth structure is remaining. Most of the study participants (75.7%) preferred composite core material and (64.9%) placed the “post” after waiting for 1 week. It was observed that the majority of the specialists used prefabricated post and tooth-colored crown (29.3%) as a restorative material for endodontically treated anterior teeth when <50% of tooth structure was remaining. A statistically significant difference (P = 0.011*) was found between the responses of specialists and general dentists for their preferred restorative material post root canal treatment (RCT). Conclusion: The survey revealed a clear predisposition among respondents to tapered prefabricated metallic posts. This result demonstrates a consensus among dentists, indicating a preferred option for postdesign in their clinical practice. Different views were expressed by general dentists and specialists for the questions related to restoration options, depending on their choices.