Abstract
Abstract : Purpose : In 2003, a study was conducted in Japan on the use of a rubber dam during endodontic treatment. As a result, 25.4% of the Japan Endodontic Association (JEA) member group and 5.4% of the general dentists group (JEA non-member group) answered that they routinely use it. On the other hand, with the increasing interest in preserving teeth among Japanese people in recent years, interest in endodontic treatment has increased too, and the equipment and materials used have also made great progress. Therefore, we hypothesized that the frequency of use of a rubber dam might have changed, and examined it in this study.
Materials and Methods : The study period was from October 2019 to November 2020, and questionnaires were conducted through workshops and seminars, etc. held by the JEA, and the Internet. The recovery rate of questionnaires was 97.5%, and responses were received from a total of 986, including 463 in the JEA member group, 100 in the endodontist/dental clinical instructor group of the Japan Endodontic Association (JEA endodontist group), and 523 in the JEA non-member group.
Results and Discussion : As a result of the questionnaire, 51.5% of the JEA member group, 60.0% of the JEA endodontist group, and 14.1% of the JEA non-member group answered that they would routinely use a rubber dam. The percentages who use it on a daily basis were : 74.0%, 81.1%, and 28.6%, respectively. In addition, 65.3%, 61.1%, and 34.8% of these three groups answered that they would perform pre-endodontic build-up when necessary for root canal treatment. The JEA member group and the JEA endodontist group were aware of the necessity of the rubber dam isolation technique and pre-endodontic build-up, but the JEA non-member group seemed to have a low usage rate due to complexity and economic reasons.
Conclusion : Compared to the 2003 study, it was revealed that the frequency of rubber dam use had increased significantly in both the JEA member group including the JEA endodontist group, and the non-JEA member group. In addition, more than half of the JEA member group and JEA endodontist group routinely perform pre-endodontic build-up, and one third in the non-JEA member group also perform it, suggesting increasing awareness of the importance of using a rubber dam in endodontic treatment.
