Root canal treatment in general practice in Sudan

Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the practice and depth of knowled ge of root canal treatment by dental practitioners in Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan, in order to improve the current status of endodontic therap y. Methodology A questionnaire was posted to 55 registered dental practitioner s. Completed questionnaires were analysed in term of simple summary statist ics. Results A total of fifty-two (95%) practitioners responded. Eighty-five per cent of the respondents indicated that they performed root canal treatment for their patients. Of these, 84% included molars in their activity. Among st those who carried out root canal treatment, only one practitioner used r ubber dam for isolation, whilst the remainder used cotton wool rolls. The m ajority of respondents (80%) used hydrogen peroxide to irrigate canals duri ng treatment. Three-quarters of practitioners used formocresol as an intera ppointment medicament. The stepback preparation technique was the method of choice for 98% of respondents. All practitioners used hand instruments to prepare root canals and all used gutta-percha for obturation; three-quarter s of them used cold lateral condensation for all or some cases. The average number of radiographs routinely taken for root canal treatment was three. Only 73% used radiographs for measuring the working length. Ninety-five per cent of respondents indicated that they usually completed a root filling i n three or more visits. Three-quarters of practitioners restored the teeth permanently immediately after the obturation and one-quarter preferred wait ing for 1 or 2 weeks. Conclusions In Sudan, there are no dental practices limited to endodontics and no postgraduate training programmes. This survey shows the importance o f establishing higher specialist training or continuing dental education fo r practitioners to update their knowledge.