Characteristics of endodontic clinical trials registered in clinicalTrials.gov between 2000 and 2022

Abstract

ABSTRACT Aim: This study aims to examine the characteristics of endodontic clinical trials registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov database. Methods: The ClinicalTrials.gov website was searched for endodontic clinical trials that were registered between 2000 and 2022. The search term used was “endodontics.” As a result of the search strategy, 613 trials were identified. Out of which, 500 clinical trials met our inclusion criteria. For each clinical trial, information was extracted including the year of registration, location of the trial, type of trial, study design (allocation, intervention model, and masking) estimated enrollment, participants’ age, health condition/problems studied, intervention/treatment, the status of the trial, study results, phase of the trial, and source of funding. Fisher’s exact test was applied to identify the characteristics of clinical trials associated with funding. Results: The number of registered clinical trials gradually increased from 2000 to 2022. Out of 500 clinical trials, 456 were interventional, and 44 were observational. Only 18 clinical trials had secured funding. The majority of interventional trials (90.8%) are randomized, and the most common interventional model was parallel assignment (88.4%). It was observed that irreversible pulpitis was the most common condition studied (32.2%). Nonsurgical endodontic therapy was the most common intervention used in the trials (42.2%). Conclusion: The study provided an overview of endodontic clinical trials that were registered in the ClinicalTrials.gov. The findings showed that registered endodontic clinical trials have increased rapidly since 2000. The vast majority of trials took place in Africa. The majority of endodontic clinical trials followed rigorous methods in terms of allocation, intervention model, and masking. However, only a small portion of trials had secured funding. The findings also indicate the need for trial results to be made publicly available to enhance evidence-based practice in endodontics.