Questionnaire Survey on Root Canal Treatment : I.Post-treatment Flare-up

Abstract

Inter-appointment flare-up is an undesired event following infected root canal treatment both for the patient and for the clinician, and could undermine the clinician-patient relationship. A questionnaire survey on root canal treatment was conducted in February 2004, at University Hospital, Health Sciences University of Hokkaido, involving 171 dentists. The response rate of the survey was 64.3%. The average duration of clinical experience of the dentists who responded was 7.9 years. This report focuses on the topic of infected root canal treatment and subsequent inter-appointment flare-up regarding which six questions were asked. The majority had had cases of inter-appointment flare-up. The percentage of dentists who answered that inter-appointment flare-up frequently occurred was 71.4% in group A. The corresponding figures in groups B, C and D were 29.0, 13.6 and 13.8%. Frequencies of inter-appointment flare-up were reported to be 14.4, 8.0, 8.9 and 7.2% in groups A, B, C and D, respectively. Most of the clinicians answered that the mandibular first molar was the tooth with the highest occurrence of inter-appointment flare-up. Almost 50% of the clinicians answered that the cause of the flare-up was mechanical injury to the peri-radicular tissues. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicated that basic procedures of root canal treatment are of importance to prevent inter-appointment flare-up following infected root canal treatment.