The life cycle analysis of a dental examination: Quantifying the environmental burden of an examination in a hypothetical dental practice.

Objectives: Global sustainability is considered the number one health concern facing our planet. Dental care is currently not provided in a sustainable way. This study aims to quantify the potential environmental burden of an examination in a hypothetical dental practice and identify major contributors to environmental harm.

Environmental sustainability in endodontics. A life cycle assessment (LCA) of a root canal treatment procedure.

Background: To analyse via life cycle analysis (LCA) the global resource use and environmental output of the endodontic procedure.

Methodology: An LCA was conducted to measure the life cycle of a standard/routine two-visit RCT. The LCA was conducted according to the International Organization of Standardization guidelines; ISO 14040:2006.