Root canal treatment from patients’ perspective: Knowledge, awareness and expectations

Abstract

Background/Aim: Root canal treatment (RCT) is one of the most common endodontic procedures for which patients visit the dentist. Patient's knowledge, awareness, and attitude regarding root canal treatment are an interesting problem in everyday dentistry. Therefore, the study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, awareness, and attitude of patients coming for endodontic treatment. Methods: Questionnaire surveys were carried out in a group of 209 patients, including queries characterizing their knowledge, awareness, and attitude towards the RCT - their experiences, expectations, potential problems, and management expenses. Results: Exploring the knowledge of individuals? concerning RCT, it was noticed that 51% of the surveyed patients in the past had experienced endodontics treatment. 52% of participants reported that they know the charges of the RCT, 50% of them said that the price was sufficient to the difficulty of the process. The study confirmed that a large number of people still prefer specialists to perform the RCT (47%). Conclusion: An enhancement of knowledge and awareness of people about the RCT has been observed, as well as a need of providing more information to patients about endodontics and benefits of saving teeth.