Knowledge of General Dentists of Kermanshah about Root Canal Therapy in 2012

Introduction: The present study was conducted to analyze the knowledge of general dentists of Kermanshah about root canal therapy in 2012.

Methods: In this descriptive cross-sectional study, a two-part questionnaire was designed and given to 93 general dentists in Kermanshah to complete. The first part of the questionnaire comprised of personal and professional information of the participant dentists and the second part of the questionnaire determined the awareness of the dentists about root canal therapy. Data were analyzed by SPSS software (version 20) using Pearson correlation coefficient, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) and independent t-test.

Results: A total of 84 dentists with the mean age of 39.3±7.1 completed the questionnaires. The mean for 12 correct responses was 63.3%. The highest number of correct responses (86.2%) belonged to using proper intra-canal medication (calcium hydroxide) and the lowest number of correct responses (41.4%) was associated with the number of root canals in maxillary first molar (four canals). There was a reverse correlation between awareness and work experience (P=0.002, r=-0.337). Also, participation in retraining courses did not have significant impact on the knowledge of the dentists (P =0.82).

Conclusion: General dentists have average knowledge about root canal therapy. Higher quality regular training is recommended to promote the knowledge of the dentists about endodontic therapies.