Endodontic retreatment strategies used by general dental practitioners.
OBJECTIVE
Root-filled teeth with persistant periapical radiolucencies are often classified as endodontic failures. Studies have shown that general dental practitioners (GDP) do not consistantly suggest retreatment of "failures." The "Praxis Concept" (PC) theory hypothesizes that dentists conceive periapical health and disease as different states on a continuum. This study examined endodontic retreatment concepts among 157 GDPs from Värmland, Sweden.


METHODS
In 6 simulated cases the periapical condition, quality of root filling and presence of a root canal-retained post were systematically varied. Five options were offered: no therapy, wait and see, nonsurgical retreatment, surgical retreatment, and extraction.


RESULTS
The investigation showed large interindividual variation in retreatment behavior among the GDPs. Only 9 dentists (6%) where found to repeatedly suggest retreatment of endodontic failures. A majority of GDPs (79%) performed in accordance with PC.


CONCLUSIONS
The data indicate that several retreatment decision rules are used by Swedish GDPs, but PC-derived strategies attract the majority.
Kvist
Thomas
T
Department of Endodontology, Faculty of Odontology, Sahlgrenska Academy, Göteborg University, Gothenburg, Sweden. kvist@odontologi.gu.se
Heden
Gunnar
G
Reit
Claes
C
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D005792:General Practice, Dental; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010483:Periapical Diseases / Q000628:therapy; D011176:Post and Core Technique; D019239:Practice Patterns, Dentists'; D019233:Retreatment; D012387:Root Canal Filling Materials / Q000592:standards; D012389:Root Canal Obturation; D012390:Root Canal Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric; D013548:Sweden; D017211:Treatment Failure
D012387:Root Canal Filling Materials