Assessment of dental students' knowledge and performance of master gutta-percha cone selection and fitting during root canal treatment: a pilot study.

BACKGROUND: Misconceptions should be detected early in dental students' training to improve their clinical performance. Accordingly, this study aimed to assess undergraduate dental students' knowledge and performance of master gutta-percha (GP) cone selection and fitting during clinical endodontic courses at the College of Dentistry, King Saud University. METHODS: Ninety-nine undergraduate dental students completed an online survey about their knowledge of master GP cone selection. Forty-five of these students were observed by faculty members in clinical endodontic courses while they fitted master GP cones during root canal treatments. The observers recorded the details of each student's cone-fitting techniques. The data were analysed using t-tests, one-way analysis of variance, and chi-square tests (p < 0.05). Inter- and intra-observer reliability were tested using Fliess' Kappa. RESULTS SURVEY: All participants had good knowledge of over-extended cone management, while 80.8% knew how to properly manage a short cone. The proper flaring assessment method was selected by 86.9% of the female and 34.2% of the male students, and this difference was statistically significant (p = 0.0001). OBSERVATION: The students labelled the working length on the master GP cone with an indentation in 64.4% of the cases and by bending the cone 35.6% of the time. Of all students, 84.4% encountered an apical stop, and this rate correlated significantly with the length of the cone on the master apical cone radiograph (p = 0.001). Improper shaping of the canal was the most common cause of ill-fitting cones (83.3%), while 16.7% of the students chose the wrong cone size. The final obturation length was adequate in 80% of the cases; 57.8% of the students were helped by instructors. CONCLUSIONS: Most students had the basic knowledge required to solve problems related to the selection of master GP cones. However, in the clinical setting, more than half of the students required the assistance of an instructor to adjust their cone's fit. The presence of an apical stop had the most significant effect on the length of the fitted master GP cone on radiography. The most common cause of ill-fitting master cones was improper shaping of the canal.

The incidence of radicular groove on maxillary lateral incisors of Saudi population: CBCT evaluation.

BACKGROUND: The radicular groove (RG) is one of the developmental anomalies that is commonly found in maxillary incisors. The formation of radicular groove is initiated around the cingulum and can reach the root at different levels. The incidence of radicular grooves was reported in different countries but there was no published data about the incidence of RG in Saudi Arabia. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the incidence of radicular grooves on maxillary lateral incisors in the Saudi population using cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT). METHODS: The dental records of 490 patients (N = 490) with CBCT images of maxillary anterior teeth were screened for inclusion criteria. Then 264 included cases were evaluated independently by two Endodontists. The evaluation was performed on CBCT images in the axial, sagittal, and coronal sections using Planmeca Romexis® software. The following data were recorded for each patient: Patients' age and gender, radicular groove presence or absence, and if it is bilateral or unilateral. The type of radicular groove was recorded according to Gu's classification (type I, II, or III). RESULTS: The incidence rate of radicular grooves in maxillary lateral incisors was 4.9%. RG was found to be unilateral in 61.5% and bilateral in 38.5%. The majority of RG were classified as type I in 69.2%, followed by type II in 15.4%, and type III was found in 15.4%. CONCLUSION: 4.9% of the Saudi population has RG in the upper lateral incisor. This anatomical variation is mostly present as type I on one side only (unilateral).

Clinical dental students' knowledge regarding proper dental settings for treating patient during COVID-19: A cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the clinical dental students' knowledge on the proper dental setting during COVID-19. METHODS: Using multicenter cross-sectional study, a 10-items questionnaire was distributed in April 2020 among senior dental students from two dental schools. It comprised three main domains: demographic questions, questions investigating student's access to the proper recommendations of dental settings during COVID-19 and the specific recommendations questions. RESULTS: The questionnaire was sent to 654 clinical dental students and the total number of respondents were 267 representing a response rate of 40.83%. The overall knowledge mean was low (1±0.92). Gender was not a statistically significant factor affecting the knowledge score (P > 0.05). Most of the participants never visited the Saudi Center for Disease Prevention and Control (Saudi CDC) website and received no guidance or advice regarding proper dental practices during COVID-19. A statistically significant relationship was observed between the mean knowledge score and access to knowledge variables (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: It was noted that clinical dental students have low knowledge on the proper dental settings during COVID-19 pandemic that was recommended by the Saudi CDC guidelines and they must be equipped with adequate knowledge from reliable sources to overcome their insufficiencies such as a well-structured and dynamic curriculum.

Corrigendum to "Endodontic and Restorative Treatment Patterns of Pulpally Involved Immature Permanent Posterior Teeth".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2018/2178535.].

Endodontic and Restorative Treatment Patterns of Pulpally Involved Immature Permanent Posterior Teeth.

OBJECTIVE: The study aims at investigating the treatment patterns for young permanent posterior teeth with pulp involvement. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A random sample of 1793 dental records of patients aged 6-18 years old who had received dental treatment was investigated. 663 permanent posterior treated teeth had pulp involvement. Demographic and treatment data were gathered from patients' records. RESULTS: Prevalence of young permanent teeth with pulp involvement was 36.9%. Treatments received significantly increased as patients' age increased (P=0.001). The first mandibular molar had the most pulp involvement among all teeth (43.89%). Temporary restoration was the most received restoration (59%). The most common pulpal diagnosis, leading to treatment, was irreversible pulpitis (43.04%). Only 19.8% of treated teeth received completed root canal treatment. CONCLUSION: There is a high percentage of children and adolescents with immature permanent posterior teeth with pulp involvement. Similarly, a variety of treatment patterns is present, with a small percentage of completed root canal treatment. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The study has identified the need to provide guidelines to provide high-quality root canal treatments for young permanent posterior teeth that have pulpal involvement. Only 21.8% of root canal treatments were completed, while 24% of teeth were extracted, and 59% of patients received temporary restorative treatments. This suggests that there might be several factors that might prevent completion of the dental treatment, such as patient preference, insurance coverage, or dentist capability. These factors and guidelines for patient care should be investigated and resolved.