Patients' Perceptions and Experience towards Root Canal Treatment: A Prospective Analytical Study

Background Although Root Canal Treatment (RCT) is considered to be a painful procedure, it actually alleviates the pain of endodontic origin. Patient may avoid root canal treatment mainly due to anxiety and fear of pain, resulting in treatment avoidance and eventual tooth loss through extraction. Objective To overview the patients' perceptions towards Root Canal Treatments and compare those perceptions to their post treatment actual experiences. Method A prospective analytical study was conducted at the Department of Conservative Dentistry and Endodontics, Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences (KUSMS), Dhulikhel. A structured questionnaire was administered to the patients before starting of the root canal treatment and immediately after placement of the root canal filling materials. Multiple-choice questions were used to assess patient concerns, levels of nervousness, and perceptions of anticipated versus experienced pain. Result Before initiation of treatment 38 patients (16.7%) anticipated root canal treatment to be painless, while 171 (75.3%) and 18 (7.9%) expected it to be painful and extremely painful respectively. Following treatment 123 patients (54.2%) reported no pain, whereas 98 (43.2%) and 6 (2.6%) experienced it as painful and extremely. While pain associated with the treatment was the highest pretreatment concern 60 (26.4%), the post treatment concern was time 38 (16.7%). Conclusion The study provided insights into patient's perceptions regarding root canal treatment. Pain experienced during endodontic treatment was frequently less than anticipated pain. There was a 100% satisfaction rate with root canal treatment, and most patients expressed willingness to undergo the treatment again if needed.