title: Failures, disasters and catastrophes--a hypothetical endodontics.
abstract: Failures occur in dentistry as a result of many factors some of which can be controlled by the operator whilst others are unavoidable. The long-term success rate of endodontic treatment has often been thought to be very high although studies reported in the literature do not support this perception. The number of failures can be reduced by adhering to accepted treatment procedures and by avoiding 'short cuts'. Recent work now points to endodontic failures being largely a consequence of failures of the coronal restoration rather than being due to failure of the root canal filling itself. Disasters are usually related to operator errors and they may have detrimental effects on the outcome of treatment in the long term, eventually becoming catastrophes. Endodontic disasters will require special techniques to salvage them whereas catastrophes usually result in loss of the tooth and every effort should be made to prevent such problems from occurring.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Sciences, University of Melbourne.
authors.forename: P V
authors.initials: PV
authors.lastname: Abbott
mesh_terms: D003762:Dental Instruments / Q000009:adverse effects; D019232:Dental Restoration Failure; D003793:Dental Restoration, Permanent / Q000009:adverse effects; D003951:Diagnostic Errors; D006801:Humans; D012387:Root Canal Filling Materials; D012390:Root Canal Therapy / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000295:instrumentation; D016388:Tooth Loss / Q000209:etiology; D014098:Toothache / Q000209:etiology; D017211:Treatment Failure
chemical_list: D012387:Root Canal Filling Materials