Assessment of Practice of Endodontic Treatment Protocols among General Dental Practitioners in Pokhara, Nepal

Abstract

Introduction: Endodontics is specialty field, but the majority of endodontic treatment in Pokhara is provided by the general dental practitioners. The aim of this study was to assess the practice of endodontic treatment protocols among general dental practitioners in Pokhara, Nepal. 
 Materials and Methods: A cross sectional questionnaire based study was conducted among all the general dental practitioners working in various government, private hospital and clinic of Pokhara. Information about the materials and techniques used in endodontic treatment was collected and descriptive statistical analysis was done. 
 Results: Out of 89 respondents, only 82 completely filled the questionnaires which were included in the study. Most general dental practitioners (96.34%) regularly treat single rooted endodontic cases. Only 10.97% occasionally use rubber dam during endodontic treatment. Most general dental practitioners (96.34%) used radiographic technique for working length determination. Ninety two percent used stainless steel hand files and step back was the choice of technique by 90.24%. Sodium hypochlorite irrigation and calcium hydroxide intra canal medicaments were used by 93.9% and 98.78% of general dental practitioners respectively. 75.6% used zinc oxide eugenol as root canal sealer and 95.12% obturated root canals with lateral compaction technique. The common complication encountered was mid treatment pain. They seem to overuse antibiotics in cases requiring endodontic therapy. Only 52.43% used autoclave for sterilization of endodontic files. About 92.68% felt the need of further endodontic training and 74.39% preferred post graduate program. 
 Conclusion: This study indicates that many general dental practitioners of Pokhara are not following well acknowledged endodontic quality guidelines; hence there is a need for further endodontic training.

Assessment of the Current Endodontic Practices among General Dental Practitioners in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

“…The present study recommended that rubber dam application is a mandatory step that was preferred by most of the respondents 231 (74.0%), it was supported by the fact that most practitioners were working in the private sector instead of government hospitals. These findings were not corroborated with research conducted in Nepal, [ 38 ] in which it was claimed that only 10.97% of GDPs use rubber dams regularly and did not follow the standards of endodontic principles. The results of this study are very much consistent with other studies [ 37 , 39 ].…”

“…On the other hand, no one respondent supported the tactile sensation in order to determine the working length. These findings were not in accordance with the study by Manandhar et al, which demonstrated that most GDPs (96.34%) used radiograph to ascertain working length, however, 6.09% believed in the tactile sensation technique, while 8.53% applied an apex locator followed by radiographic confirmation [ 38 ]. This study is consistent with research conducted by Shrestha et al [ 41 ] and Iqbal et al [ 24 ].…”

“…In the present study, obturation of the canal was accomplished by the single cone technique (53.5%) with the integration of a resin-based sealer (50.6%) which is needed to seal the space between the dentinal walls and obturating core interface. These outcomes were not corroborated with the study that showed that the preferred root canal sealer, zinc oxide Eugenol, was applied by 75.6% of GDPs [ 38 ].…”

“…Cleaning and shaping of the canal is a sensitive stage that should be done perfectly to get a successful RCT. Of the GDPs, 96.28% used stainless steel hand files, however, only 28.04% and 13.41% of GDPs used hand and rotary nickel-titanium files, respectively [ 38 ]. Similarly, the same results have been observed in a study by Shrestha et al [ 41 ], Mehta et al [ 43 ], and Iqbal et al [ 24 ].…”

Flood Susceptibility Assessment through Statistical Models and HEC-RAS Analysis for Sustainable Management in Essaouira Province, Morocco

“…To accurately estimate the probability of the exceedance of flood events in a region, it is crucial to examine the historical records of past floods [56,91]. To accomplish this, it is essential to have an inventory map that documents flood occurrences in the area [92].…”