Patients Perception of Quality of life Post Endodontic Therapy and Rehabilitation- A cross sectional study

Abstract

Background- Dental caries is one of the most prevalent diseases of humans. Its sequalae are pain, swelling and eventually loss of tooth, if not treated in time, leading to improper mastication, digestion and hence, poor nutrition which affects one’s systemic health. One of the treatment modalities for carious tooth infecting the pulp is root canal therapy. It includes removal of all the carious tooth structure, shaping, cleaning, and disinfecting the root canals, obturating it and rehabilitating it with a suitable restoration. Patients have a varied perception about root canal therapy due to fear of pain, number of appointments and duration of the treatment procedure. Many a times patients also insist for extraction of an otherwise restorable tooth to get an implant. Thus, the aim of this study was to assess the patient’s perception of Quality of Life Post endodontic therapy and rehabilitation. Materials and Methods: In this Cross-sectional study, a questionnaire was designed comprising of 21 questions, and was filled by the adult patients who underwent root canal therapy in the past. Results: Majority of patients got their treatment done because of the chief complaint of a painful tooth, some had the chief complaint of a fractured tooth, swelling and discharge. 66.5% patients said that their treatment was completed in 2-3 appointments of 45mins-1 hour; 56.2% of patients said that the root canal therapy was not painful, and 90.1% of the patients have healthy and satisfactory condition of the root canal treated tooth. Conclusion: Almost all the patients who filled the questionnaire said that there is a significant improvement in their quality of life after the root canal therapy and rehabilitation, also 94% of patients said that they would recommend getting a root canal therapy instead of extraction. Key Words: Root canal therapy, Pain, Extraction Quality of life.