Root Canal Therapy
Conditions
Keywords
Root Canal Therapy, Education, Dental, Students, Dental, Self Assessment, Observer Variation, Radiography, Dental
Brief summary
This prospective cohort study evaluates dental students' self-assessment of clinical endodontic performance and compares it with independent evaluations conducted in a dental education clinical setting. Endodontic treatments are performed by undergraduate dental students using two distinct rotary file systems selected according to routine clinical practice. Students' self-assessments are prospectively collected using a structured questionnaire and compared with evaluations performed by two experienced evaluators with access to clinical and radiographic information, considered the reference standard, as well as by two different experienced evaluators using radiographic information only. Secondary analyses examine whether assessment outcomes differ according to the rotary file system used. The null hypothesis is that there is no difference between dental students' self-assessments and reference standard evaluations of endodontic treatment quality, and that assessment outcomes do not differ according to the rotary file system used.
Detailed description
This prospective cohort observational study examines dental students' self-assessment of clinical endodontic performance in a dental education clinical setting and compares these assessments with independent evaluations. Endodontic treatments are performed by undergraduate dental students as part of routine clinical practice under standard supervision. Treatments are carried out using one of two distinct rotary file systems selected according to routine clinical practice, without assignment by the study protocol. Following completion of each endodontic treatment, operators prospectively complete a structured self-assessment questionnaire evaluating the quality of their clinical performance. These self-assessments are compared with evaluations performed by experienced external evaluators. Two experienced evaluators assess each case using both clinical and radiographic information and serve as the reference standard, while two different experienced evaluators perform an assessment based on radiographic information only. The primary objective is to evaluate the agreement between dental students' self-assessments and the reference standard evaluation of endodontic treatment quality. Secondary objectives include assessment of agreement between radiographic-only and reference standard evaluations, as well as examination of whether assessment outcomes differ according to the rotary file system used across operator self-assessments and independent evaluations.
Interventions
OTHERNot applicable- observational study
No study-defined intervention; treatments were performed as part of routine clinical care.
Sponsors
Aristotle University Of Thessaloniki
Study design
Observational model
COHORT
Time perspective
PROSPECTIVE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
1. Healthy patients or with a controlled systemic condition 2. 18 Years and older 3. Completion and acceptance of a patient consent form for the study 4. Patient in need of an initial endodontic treatment of an upper or lower molar
Exclusion criteria
1. Existence of a systemic disease or usage of drugs that makes the patient unfit to undergo endodontic treatment by students in an Undergraduate Clinic. 2. Teeth with previous endodontic treatment 3. Teeth with doubtful prognosis - unrestorable 4. Teeth with severe periodontal damage 5. Alcohol or drug use 6. Pregnancy or breastfeeding
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Agreement between dental students' self-assessment and reference standard evaluation of endodontic treatment quality | Up to 2 weeks (at completion of endodontic treatment) | The level of agreement between dental students' self-assessment of completed endodontic treatments and evaluations performed by two experienced evaluators with access to both clinical and radiographic information, considered the reference standard. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Agreement between radiographic-only evaluation and reference standard evaluation of endodontic treatment quality | Up to 2 weeks (at completion of endodontic treatment) | The level of agreement between evaluations of endodontic treatments performed by two independent evaluators using radiographic information only and evaluations performed by two experienced evaluators with access to both clinical and radiographic information, considered the reference standard. |
| Proportion of self-reported assessment findings by rotary file system based on dental students' self-assessment | Up to 2 weeks (at completion of endodontic treatment) | The proportion of specific findings reported in dental students' self-assessments of completed endodontic treatments, based on a structured self-assessment questionnaire, compared between two rotary file systems used as part of routine clinical practice. Results will be reported as percentages of self-reported findings for each rotary file system. |
| Proportion of reference standard evaluation findings by rotary file system | Up to 2 weeks (at completion of endodontic treatment) | The proportion of specific evaluation findings identified by experienced evaluators using combined clinical and radiographic information, considered the reference standard, for completed endodontic treatments. The proportions of these evaluation findings will be compared between two rotary file systems used as part of routine clinical practice and reported as percentages for each system. |
| Proportion of radiographic-only evaluation findings by rotary file system | Up to 2 weeks (at completion of endodontic treatment) | The proportion of specific evaluation findings identified through radiographic-only assessment of completed endodontic treatments. The proportions of these radiographic evaluation findings will be compared between two rotary file systems used as part of routine clinical practice and reported as percentages for each system. |
Countries
Greece
Contacts
STUDY_DIRECTORNikolaos Economides
School of Dentistry, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki
Outcome results
None listed