Evaluation of dentists' awareness on modern irrigation techniques used in root canal treatment: A survey study

Objective: In present study, it was aimed to determine the current irrigation methods in root canal treatment used by dentists in Turkey. Method: The questionnaire was prepared using 'Survey Monkey' program. 340 dentists participated in the survey. The survey, which includes 25 questions consists of 2 parts. In the first part, there are 4 questions evaluating the demographic characteristics of the participants. In the second part, participants were asked 21 questions about the irrigation methods they used in root canal treatment. Descriptive statistical methods were used for the analyses of the data. Pearson chi-square test was used to compare categorical data. To compare between groups z test was applied with Bonferroni correction. Results: Participants reported that they mostly used sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl), chlorhexidine (CHX) and ethylenediamine tetraacetic acid (EDTA) as an irrigation solution in root canal treatment. 39,4% of the participants stated that they used NaOCl at 2.5% and 42,6% at 5% concentration. While the majority of endodontists (57.4%) prefer 2.5% concentration of NaOCl solution during root canal treatment, general dentists prefer 5% concentration of NaOCl at the highest rate (50%). 53.5% of the participants reported that they used irrigation activation techniques for disinfection of the root canals. The proportion of endodontists (89.7%) using irrigation activation techniques during root canal treatment is significantly higher than general dentists (47.8%) and specialist dentists in other branches (43.3%). Sonic activation (53.8%), manual dynamic activation with gutta-percha (51.1%) and ultrasonic activation (37.4%) were the most commonly used activation methods in the disinfection of root canals, respectively. Conclusion: The contribution of irrigation activation methods to the success of root canal treatment is one of the main issues that should be taken into consideration. Examining the knowledge level of dentists on this issue through different studies may help to evaluate the preferences regarding irrigation activation methods and eliminate the deficiencies in the education system.