Evaluation of dentists’ approach to retreatment in Turkey: A survey study

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the approaches that dentists working in Turkey take to retreatment. Methods: A questionnaire with 16 questions regarding gender, institution, specialty, experience, and root canal treatment stages was distributed to 223 dentists. The collected questionnaires were analyzed in R 4.0.0 programming language. A chi-square test analyzed the categorical variables. The statistical analyses were performed at a 5% significance level. Results: A statistically significant relationship was found between the years spent practicing dentistry and the methods of determining the length of root canal treatment (p < 0.05). The relationship between the choices of irrigation agents for canal treatment and the professional title was found to be statistically significant (p < 0.05). No significant relationship was found between gender and other parameters (p > 0.05). A statistically significant difference was found between the treatment protocol applied in molar teeth with lesions, the success rate of the patients who underwent retreatment, and the practitioners’ specializations (p < 0.05). The relationship between retreatment in unsuccessful root canal treatments and the institution studied was also statistically significant (p < 0.05). A total of 66% of dentists working in Oral and Dental Health Center, 88% of dentists working in private clinics, and 90% of dentists working at universities reported that they performed retreatment. The relationships among the frequency of endodontic treatment, the use of magnification while performing root canal treatment, the group of teeth that was most often treated, and the institutions in which dentists work were also found to be statistically significant. Conclusion: In this survey study, which was conducted to evaluate the practice of endodontic treatment, the rate of dentists performing endodontic treatments was found to have increased. Endodontists performed retreatment cases at a higher rate than general practitioners. Dentists with less professional experience had higher rates of endodontic treatment for difficult–to–treat molars than those with more professional experience. How to cite this article: Tellioğlu Avcı GR. Evaluation of dentists’ approach to retreatment in Turkey: A survey study. J Med Dent Invest 2023;4:e230314. https://doi.org/10.5577/jomdi.e230324 Linguistic Revision: The English in this manuscript has been checked by at least two professional editors, both native speakers of English.