Abstract

Aim: We aimed to evaluate the quality of the root canal treatments performed by undergraduate dental students.

Material and Methods: Data comprised 105 teeth of which digital radiographs were analyzed. Radiographic periapical findings at baseline were compared with those after the follow-up period. Properties of the root fillings i.e. length and density, as well as types of teeth were considered in analyses. Patients with missing information i.e. no diagnosis or poor quality radiographs, were excluded.

Results: Second premolar was the most common tooth for endodontic treatment. Teeth with preoperative periapical lesions had healing rate of 84.0%, when the respective figure for teeth without preoperative periapical lesions was 96.7%. The best healing rate was detected in mandibular premolars and poorest in mandibular incisors and canines. Maxillary molars had biggest proportion of negative changes. Outcome was significantly better for root fillings of optimal length compared to those which were not (p=0.019). Teeth with filling material outside the apex were noticed to have the lowest healing rate (69.2%). No effect on periapical healing due to the use of posts was observed. Isolating the root canal filling was associated with better outcome compared to the situation without any isolation.

Conclusion: In our study, the outcome of endodontic treatments by dental students was better than reported in earlier studies. Good outcome was associated with good quality of root fillings. There still are unnecessary short-comings in recording diagnosis and the course of treatment.