Orthodontists' Awareness of Invasive Cervical Root Resorption: A Multinational Survey

Materials and methods: A specially designed questionnaire was completed by participants in 4 orthodontic meetings in different countries. The questionnaire comprised 19 multiple choice questions relating to the practitioners' knowledge of ICRR, its risk factors, diagnosis, pathogenesis and treatment. The influence of nationality, number of years since qualification and past experience with ICRR was evaluated. Statistical analysis included Chi–square or Fisher's exact test. Results: The sample included 190 orthodontic specialists (OS) and 38 orthodontic graduate students (OPG). Overall, only 40% of participants were aware that ICRR might be a sequela of orthodontic treatment, with OPG scoring significantly better than OS. Less than 20% of participants knew that ICRR may appear long after orthodontic treatment and therefore only 12% included its monitoring in the posttreatment follow-up. Significant differences were found between nationalities. Years since qualification and past experience with ICRR did not improve performance. Only 54% of the doctors were aware that ICRR is of periodontal origin and an extreme low proportion of practitioners (31%) identified the correct treatment approach. The most common mistake was prescription of root canal therapy (45%). Most of the participants (92%) were not aware that ICRR prevents tooth movement.

Conclusions: The orthodontic profession is largely unaware of the implications of ICRR. These results emphasize the need to include this subject in the curriculum of orthodontic postgraduate studies and continuous educational courses to improve early detection and proper treatment.