Post-endodontic treatment of incisors and premolars among dental practitioners in Saarland: an interactive Web-based survey.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the trend of dental practitioners in the federal state of Saarland in Germany in regard to restoring endodontically treated teeth using a Web-based survey.

Materials And Methods: An interactive Web-based survey instrument was developed, including seven clinical scenarios, presented by photographs of natural incisor and premolar with different types of cavities. Following a decision tree adapted to the clinical treatment, questions on different aspects of the post-endodontic treatment were asked. All 615 members of the Saarland Dental Association (SDA) were asked to participate in the survey.

Results: A total of 33 % completed the survey. The majority of the participants believed in the reinforcement effect of the ferrule design, as well as the post placement. The vast majority of the responding practitioners (92 %) adapted their treatment strategies to a high extent to the destruction degree of the endodontically treated tooth. Fiber-reinforced composite (FRC) posts are the most popular prefabricated post type, regardless of the cavity size and tooth localization. Significant differences between the dentists according to the degree of experience were detected only for the use of glass-ionomer cements as core buildup material.

Conclusions: The predominant post-endodontic treatment strategies of German dental practitioners are only partly in agreement with the current literature. There is a clear trend toward the increasing use of metal-free post and core materials.

Clinical Significance: Although the participants showed a general adoption of modern materials and techniques, different patterns of post-endodontic treatment were revealed that were not consistent with approaches supported by the literature.