Quality Of Endodontic Treatment Performed By House Officers

Introduction: The use of stainless steel endodontic files for the preparation of root canals by inexperienced clinicians has been associated with an increased risk of iatrogenic complications. The aim of current study was to survey the radiographic quality of endodontic treatment performed by the house officers. Materials & Methods: It was a cross sectional study that involved endodontic treatment performed by house officers using stainless steel files at Hamdard University Dental Hospital between 2008 and 2010. 524 post-operative radiographs containing 586 teeth were included. Radiographs were assessed by two calibrated examiners for taper, length, presence of voids and iatrogenic errors. The data was analyzed with the SPSS for windows version 17 using chi-square test. Results: One hundred and eighty one (31%) out of total 586 teeth had technically acceptable endodontic treatment. Anterior teeth (39.4%) and premolars (35.6%) scored significantly better for acceptable fill than molars (19.3%) (p<0.001). Apical taper was adequate in 64% of the cases where as 57% were filled to adequate length and 58% of root fillings had no voids. Most common iatrogenic error was blocked canal (26.6%) followed by internal (17.1%) and external transportation (11.3%), lateral perforation (2.9%) and separated instruments (1.4%). Mandibular molars were significantly associated with iatrogenic errors (p<0.001). Conclusion: • House officers' ability to perform endodontic treatment with stainless steel files was poor especially in mandibular molars. • There is a need to improve the house officers' ability to perform endodontic treatment of good technical quality.