Trends in Endodontic Protocols Amongst Dentists in Lahore

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To determine the trends in endodontic protocols amongst practicing dentists in teaching institutions and private clinics in Lahore. METHODOLOGY: A cross sectional survey was conducted amongst dentists working in the teaching institutions and in the private clinics of Lahore. A pre-piloted questionnaire survey adopted from Kohli et al with slight modifications was used. In this descriptive study 270 practicing dentists were selected using consecutive sampling with a 5% level of significance and margin of error. RESULTS: The 270 respondents had a mean age of 28.16 ± 6.18 participated in this study among which 111 (41.1%) were males and 159(58.9%) were females with the mean age of 30.28 ± 7.416 and 26.68 ± 4.62 respectively (12.2%) were consultants, 175(64.8%) were general dentists whereas 62(23%) were postgraduate residents. In our study population, 76(28.1%) dentists were using magnification among which 67(88.2%) were using loupes and 9(11.8%) were using microscope. The prevalence of the rubber dam usage for isolation among our respondents was 110(40.7%) only, 201(74.4%) dentists reported for routine removal of smear layer. Manual canal preparation technique was the most commonly used method practiced by 149(55.2%) dentists. 136(50.4%) dentists were using beveled needles for irrigation, whereas only 71(26.3%) were using side venting irrigation needles. Majority of the dentists (45.2%) were not using any method to increase the efficacy of the irrigants. CONCLUSION: There are deficiencies in the endodontic protocols followed by majority of the dentists in Lahore and these short comings should be addressed by governing bodies. KEYWORDS: Root canal therapy, Endodontic, Practice Patterns, Dentists HOW TO CITE: Lodhi Sk, Ehsan S, Rafique A, Saleem MN. Trends in endodontic protocols amongst dentists in Lahore. J Pak Dent Assoc 2020;29(4):239-245. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25301/JPDA.294.239 Received: 30 July 2020, Accepted: 08 September 2020

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

“…The use of magnification by respondents reported in the next study found that 25% used a microscope in each case, while 32% of respondents used a microscope only for special cases [8]. The results are similar to a study by Bhatti et al, In which 78.3% of practitioners did not use augmentation during root canal treatment [9].…”

“…In contrast, another study conducted in Iran by Raoof et al shows that 42.9% of doctors use sodium hypochlorite given that 61.8% use saline. These findings are further supported by studies conducted by Bhatti et al in Pakistan, which reported 39.1%, while Gaikwad et al in India, only 12.5% of physicians using sodium hypochlorite have reported it [9].…”

“…Calcium hydroxide is the most widely used intracanal drug, according to several studies by various authors [5,8]. In contrast, a study by Iqbal et al showed that 55% of doctors use Formocresol, while only 5% turn to Calcium hydroxide [9].…”