Evaluation of the reasons for preferring root canal treatment in mature permanent teeth potentially indicated for pulp preservation: a clinical case/photo-based questionnaire study.

Background: With advances in pulp preservation procedures (PPP), indications for PPP extend to exposed pulp with symptoms in teeth with carious lesions. Scenario/text-based questionnaire studies report a high preference for PPP for exposed pulp with no pulpal symptoms. However, negative perceptions towards PPP for exposed pulp in carious teeth are prevalent among dentists. Identifying the differences in PPP preference rates in questionnaire studies and actual clinical situations is necessary to determine the current status of PPP. In this study, a clinical case/photo-based design was devised to overcome the limitations of scenario/text-based questionnaires. This study aimed to evaluate the reasons dentists prefer root canal treatment (RCT) in cases where PPP is potentially indicated.

Methods: A questionnaire containing three cases of PPP with successful results was administered to dentists. The cases were selected to elicit comprehensive responses from the dentists. Clinical photos of the pulp exposure sites were presented to dentists without describing the tooth conditions, including the extent of pulp exposure and tooth decay, pulpal surface conditions, or restorability. The questions were focused on the reasons for selecting RCT in cases where was practiced. Questionnaire data were collected using Google e-forms. Chi-squared and Fisher's exact test (P < 0.05) were used for statistical analyses.

Results: Pulpal diagnosis was not a dominant factor in treatment decision-making for pulp exposure during caries removal. Reasons for selecting RCT where PPP was potentially indicated included the event of pulp exposure itself and the dentists' desire to prevent post-PPP symptoms. Apart from symptomatic pulp, the tooth conditions influenced the establishment of pulpal diagnosis and selection of treatment modality. Moreover, the tooth condition and dentists' desire for good patient prognosis influenced the negative perceptions towards PPP.

Conclusions: Unfavourable tooth conditions, in association with a desire for preventing post-PPP symptoms, prevent dentists from attempting PPP for pulp exposed during caries removal with no/slight symptoms. Improving negative perceptions towards PPP through accumulation of data on the high success rates of PPP is a prerequisite for achieving widespread application of PPP.