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

Rizwan Jouhar, Muhammad Adeel Ahmed, Hussain Abdulmuttalib Ali Almomen, Abdullah Amin Jawad BuHulayqah, Mohammed Yousef Ahmed Alkashi, Ahmed Adel A. Al-Quraini and Naseer Ahmed
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Rizwan Jouhar: Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Muhammad Adeel Ahmed: Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Hussain Abdulmuttalib Ali Almomen: Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Abdullah Amin Jawad BuHulayqah: Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Yousef Ahmed Alkashi: Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Adel A. Al-Quraini: Department of Restorative Dental Sciences, College of Dentistry, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia
Naseer Ahmed: Prosthodontics Unit, School of Dental Sciences, Health Campus, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Kota Bharu 16150, Malaysia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 11, 1-19

Abstract: A contemporary knowledge of root canal treatment (RCT) is a prerequisite for a successful outcome. Studies observed that General Dental Practitioners (GDPs) were not abreast of current endodontic knowledge due to a lack of continuing dental education, not following the treatment protocols that they had learned in their undergraduate program, and overlooking the evidence-based current endodontic practices. Therefore, this study was intended to assess the awareness, attitude, and clinical endodontic practices among General Dental Practitioners in Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional questionnaire-based study was conducted among all 312 GDPs working in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire consisted of socio-demographic details and 23 questions regarding current endodontic practices. The collected data was analyzed using the SPSS Version 21 (Chicago, IL, USA). The chi-square test was applied to explore the influence of gender, workplace, and the years of professional activity on the materials and techniques employed in the RCT procedure. The study results showed that of all respondents, 159 (51.0%) were males, 153 (49.0%) were females, and 286 (91.7%) were Saudi nationals. Most of the GDPs, i.e., 204 (65.4%) practiced in private hospitals or clinics whereas 108 (34.6%) practiced in Government hospitals. Root canal treatment on all teeth had been performed by 196 (62%) of the practitioners. Association of gender with demographic details and endodontic practices revealed a statistically significant difference between both genders with respect to region, nationality, type of RCT treated on the tooth, and the technique used to measure the working length ( p < 0.05). Furthermore, years of professional experience and workplace significantly affect endodontic practices ( p < 0.05). This study concluded that most of the general dental practitioners complied with quality standard guidelines showing a positive attitude toward endodontic practices. Furthermore, irrespective of gender, most of the steps in endodontic procedures revealed a significant association with years of professional experience and the workplace.

Keywords: endodontic practices; general dental practitioners; questionnaire study; professional experience; undergraduate education (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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