Contemporary philosophies of restoring endodontically treated teeth in Jordan

"Objectives:" To improve the understanding of contemporary philosophies and techniques of restoring endodontically treated teeth (ETT) in Jordan compared with previous surveys. "Methods:" A random sample of general dental practitioners (GP) and dental specialists (SP) 67% males and 33% females ranging in age from 23 to 61 with a mean age of 34.2 years was selected from the general dental register. The sample was stratified to represent the northern (23%), central (64%) and southern (13%) parts of Jordan and was also stratified according to the primary type of clinical practice i.e. Private Clinic, Ministry of Health, Military Medical Service, University Practice, or UNRWA Practice. 356 GP and 54 SP provided responses in a questionnaire survey that reviewed philosophies and techniques of restoring ETT with a 91% response rate. All responses were treated anonymously and data were tabulated and statistically analyzed using the chi-square tests at P<0.05. "Results:" All respondents reported restoration of 30 or more ETT per year (range 30-1000). The number of dentists in Jordan who believed that a post would reinforce an ETT was remarkably high at 60%. Only 34% of the respondents were aware of the ferrule effect, although almost two thirds of those with advanced degrees were familiar with this term. Questions concerning guidelines for determining the post length suggested that the majority of the respondents used rational guidelines when establishing a post’s length. Dentists in Jordan with more experience, advanced education and faculty members of dental schools were more likely to display contemporary knowledge and to report the use of well-accepted techniques. "Conclusions:" Leading educators in Jordan should direct their efforts toward providing continuing dental education for dentists in the Jordanian community to upgrade their knowledge and skills with the aim of improving the overall quality of care they provide to the population.