Post-endodontic treatment of incisors and premolars among dental practitioners in Saarland: an interactive Web-based survey
October 2014
Date:
04 Oct 2014
Abstract
Objectives
The
aim of the present study was to evaluate the trend of dental
practitioners in the federal state of Saarland in Germany in regard to
restoring endodontically treated teeth using a Web-based survey.
Materials and methods
An
interactive Web-based survey instrument was developed, including seven
clinical scenarios, presented by photographs of natural incisor and
premolar with different types of cavities. Following a decision tree
adapted to the clinical treatment, questions on different aspects of the
post-endodontic treatment were asked. All 615 members of the Saarland
Dental Association (SDA) were asked to participate in the survey.
Results
A
total of 33 % completed the survey. The majority of the participants
believed in the reinforcement effect of the ferrule design, as well as
the post placement. The vast majority of the responding practitioners
(92 %) adapted their treatment strategies to a high extent to the
destruction degree of the endodontically treated tooth. Fiber-reinforced
composite (FRC) posts are the most popular prefabricated post type,
regardless of the cavity size and tooth localization. Significant
differences between the dentists according to the degree of experience
were detected only for the use of glass-ionomer cements as core buildup
material.
Conclusions
The
predominant post-endodontic treatment strategies of German dental
practitioners are only partly in agreement with the current literature.
There is a clear trend toward the increasing use of metal-free post and
core materials.
Clinical significance
Although
the participants showed a general adoption of modern materials and
techniques, different patterns of post-endodontic treatment were
revealed that were not consistent with approaches supported by the
literature.
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