title: Pre-clinical endodontic training with artificial instead of extracted human teeth: does the type of exercise have an influence on clinical endodontic outcomes?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate whether artificial resin teeth could replace extracted human teeth in pre-clinical endodontic training and if this teaching approach influences the outcome of root canal treatment on patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  In a pre-clinical training course, students of group 1 (n = 44) performed simulated endodontic exercises on four plastic blocks and three extracted human teeth. Students of group 2 (n = 45) performed their exercises on plastic blocks and artificial resin teeth (Real-T Endo, Acadental, Lenexa, KS, USA). Both groups performed their first root canal treatments on patients in the following term. Radiographs taken during root canal treatment were used for the evaluation of treatment outcome. Distances between the master cone or the root filling and the radiographic apex as well as iatrogenic errors were assessed, and comparisons were made using Fischer's exact test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In the pre-clinical course root canal treatments performed by students of group 2 were more often classified as acceptable and a higher number of iatrogenic errors were observed in group 1. When root canal treatments were performed on patients for the first time, no significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of radiographic technical quality of root fillings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The application of artificial teeth instead of extracted human teeth had no effect on the technical quality of root fillings in terms of position in relation to the root apex or the creation of aberrations.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University Medical Centre, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Tchorz
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University Medical Centre, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brandl
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University Medical Centre, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: P A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Ganter
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University Medical Centre, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Karygianni
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University Medical Centre, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Polydorou
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biometry and Statistics, Institute of Medical Biometry and Medical Informatics, University Medical Centre, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Vach
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University Medical Centre, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hellwig
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Dentistry, Department of Operative Dentistry and Periodontology, University Medical Centre, Freiburg, Germany.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Altenburger
mesh_terms: D004708:Endodontics / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D003765:Models, Dental; D012389:Root Canal Obturation; D018915:Root Canal Preparation; D012390:Root Canal Therapy; D013335:Students, Dental
keywords: artificial teeth; pre-clinical endodontics; teaching