Preclinical endodontology: an international comparison

The aim of this study was to compare preclinical endodontic teaching in Europe, Scandinavia and North America, and to place recent UK data in an international context.

A postal questionnaire was sent to all undergraduate dental schools in North America, Scandinavia, and Europe. Data were requested on a range of issues relating to endodontic teaching.

Forty-three percent of the 170 schools surveyed returned completed questionnaires. There was considerable international consensus on the content of preclinical courses, with most schools advocating preflaring canal preparation techniques, sodium hypochlorite for irrigation, and cold lateral condensation as the standard obturation method. There was little consensus on the standard use of intracanal medicaments, though calcium hydroxide was universally popular. The practice of single visit treatment was advocated by at least 70% of schools in all geographical areas. A number of innovations appear to be gaining acceptance in preclinical teaching, with more than 20% of schools teaching the use of electronic apex locators, and a quarter of Western European, Scandinavian and North American schools embracing nickel-titanium instrumentation. Regional differences in the priority and resource given to endodontic teaching were striking. On average, UK schools had the worst staff:student ratios for preclinical endodontic teaching, and allocated substantially less time allocation for this teaching compared with Western European, Scandinavian and North American schools.

It was concluded that although teachers in the UK were broadly advocating techniques recommended elsewhere, the academic infrastructure and priority given for endodontic teaching in the UK was limited in the international context. This may have some impact on the quality of endodontic provision within the UK General Dental Services.