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Three-year Outcomes of Conventional Versus Minimally Invasive Endodontic Treatment Protocols: A Retrospective Study
Kiavash Hossini1, He Liu1, Ya Shen1
1Division of Endodontics, Department of Oral Biological & Medical Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
Introduction:
This study compared the 3-year outcomes of a conventional endodontic treatment protocol (CEP) and a minimally invasive endodontic protocol (MIEP) incorporating GentleWave (GW) technology.
Methods:
A total of 114 patients from 2 endodontic specialty clinics were included in this retrospective study. Patients received either the MIEP/GW protocol, obturated using the warm vertical compaction technique and a bioceramic sealer, or the CEP protocol, obturated using the single-cone technique and a bioceramic sealer. Clinical and radiographic evaluations were performed at the 36-month follow-up. Treatment outcomes were categorized as success or failure according to both strict and loose criteria. Data were analyzed using the Chi-square test or Fisher's exact test.
Results:
Of the 114 patients, 110 completed the 36-month follow-up, yielding a 96.5% recall rate. No moderate or severe postoperative pain was reported in the MIEP/GW group, which was significantly lower than in the CEP group (P < .05). The MIEP/GW group showed comparable success rates to the CEP group-88.7% and 69.4% versus 81.3% and 54.2% under the loose and strict criteria, respectively (P > .05).
Conclusions:
The MIEP/GW protocol achieved comparable success rates and demonstrated a lower incidence of moderate or severe postoperative pain compared with the conventional approach. These findings suggest that MIEP incorporating GW technology may serve as a reliable and effective alternative to conventional endodontic treatment.
