Alignment between Classroom Education and Clinical Practice of Root Canal Treatment among Dental Practitioners in China :A Cross-Sectional Study (Preprint)

Abstract

BACKGROUND Root canal treatment (RCT) being one of the most common interventions provided by general dentists in clinical practice and the preferred treatment method for treating endodontic diseases.However, China exhibits certain differences from other countries, both in the content and discipline orientation of endodontic education.Past research on endodontic teaching primarily focused on undergraduate and postgraduate students, leading to the limitations of research not addressing specialized students and lacking feedback from clinical practitioners.This study aims to identify issues related to the differences between clinical practices and classroom education, the effectiveness of teaching content, difficulties in practical components, and the bias in educational training. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to investigate the subjective appraisals of Chinese dental practitioners concerning the congruence between classroom education and clinical practice of root canal treatment. METHODS A total of 90 questionnaires were distributed via the Internet to dental practitioners in the eastern coastal areas of China using random sampling. The questionnaire segmented the root canal treatment process into 9 distinct phases (including preoperative preparation, intraoperative procedures, postoperative cleaning, and relevant doctor-patient communication), and gauged the respondents' sensitivity to the posed queries by using 7-point Likert scales. RESULTS A total of 83 valid responses were collated. Notable disparities were perceived by junior practitioners between classroom teachings and clinical requisites in both root canal treatment procedures and doctor-patient communication (p<0.05). In the phase of root canal disinfection and temporary sealing, respondents under the age of 29 perceived there were significant differences between classroom education and clinical requirements (p<0.05). Dental professionals in Shanghai indicated relatively minor discrepancies between academic instruction and clinical demands across multiple procedural steps (p<0.05). The collective assessment of the clinical complexity of root canal treatment exhibited a convergent trend, albeit with an overall difficulty rating surpassing those of individual procedural stages. More than half of the respondents believed that there is a need to improve and increase the proportion of teaching on indications for root canal treatment and doctor-patient communication.Over half of the participants advocated for enhancements and augmentation in the curricular emphasis on endodontic indications and doctor-patient communication skills. Only 3.7% of the respondents had encountered VR/AR applications during their school studies. In addition, in the free comments received, respondents mentioned the importance of lecturers in the instructional process. CONCLUSIONS Prevalent structural variances exist in the preclinical root canal treatment pedagogy within China, attributable to factors such as experiential deficiencies, abbreviated academic durations, and regional developmental disparities. Teaching content related to periodontal disease is relatively minimal, leading to increased difficulty in judging the indications for root canal treatment. This investigation, focusing on the experiential insights of dental practitioners, offers a novel vantage point for the ongoing refinement of dental educational paradigms. CLINICALTRIAL This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Shanghai University of Engineering Science (Approval No. EST-2024-027).