A Questionnaire Survey Among Dentists on the Use of Intracanal Medicaments in Orthograde Endodontic Treatment

Abstract

Introduction: The endodontic therapy is performed with appropriate preparation techniques, irrigation solutions and intracanal medications, with the aim of eliminating residual microorganisms. The purpose of the survey is to evaluate the level of awareness and clinical use of intracanal medicaments, and ways to remove them among dentists. Material and methods: The subject of the survey is the opinion of 249 dentists with different work experience and work orientations. Questions to identify the most commonly used intracanal medicaments in the course of endodontic treatment by general dentists are included. Identify the clinical situations in which they are most commonly used, as well as the preferred techniques and solutions for their elimination. The data were processed with the statistical software IBM SPSS Statistics 26. The results of the survey show that most of the respondents practice general dentistry and 98% of the respondents use intracanal medications in their practice. The most commonly used intracanal medicament is calcium hydroxide in single and combined form, 49% and 75%, respectively. According to 96.7%, medications affect the healing process. Syringe and needle irrigation with 2-5.25% NaOCI is one of the most commonly used methods for removing intracanal medicaments (96.3%). 74% of the respondents have difficulties in removing intracanal medicaments. Conclusion: Based on their clinical experience, respondents indicated that they have difficulty in the complete removal of intracanal medicaments, and half of them believe that not all methods for their removal are available. At the same time, the respondents point out that the incomplete removal of intracanal drugs affects the adhesion of the canal filling material to the walls of the root canal.