Evaluation of the quality of root canal treatment performed by undergraduate dental students

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study is to retrospectively evaluate the quality of root canal treatments performed by fifth year undergraduate dental students at the Department of Endodontics, Faculty of Dentistry, Gaziantep University. Material and Methods: A total sample of 584 records of patients was investigated. The technical quality of 523 root canal fillings providing criteria was evaluated according to the distance among the end of the filling and the radiographic apex, density of the filling and the quality of the obturation. All examined periapical radiographs were taken during the procedure. A root canal with acceptable quality was defined as having acceptable length and density. Results: The highest quality in maxilla and mandible was found in incisors (64% and 64.8% respectively) and the lowest quality was found in molars (44.8% and 43.5% respectively). There was a statistically significant difference between the incisors and molars in the maxillary and mandibular jaws (p <0.05). The teeth with adequate length were 72.3% and the teeth with acceptable density were 64.4%. Overall 54.3% in all evaluated teeth were found to have a root filling of an acceptable quality. Conclusion: In the radiographic evaluation of the canals treated by the students, the students performed better treatments in the anterior region compared to the molars. The quality of molar teeth was low and the total quality of the treatments was not at the desired level. Preclinical applications should be increased and more current techniques and equipment should be used in clinics to improve the total treatment quality, especially the treatment quality of molars.