SP-32 - Root Canal Treatment Outcomes: The Human Side

Presentation Description/Abstract: Endodontists necessarily focus on the procedural aspects of root canal treatment, from diagnosis to technique and recall. However, we must also understand the patient’s perspective, and we must know ourselves. Endodontic outcomes, from the presenter’s published systematic reviews, amongst other studies, will be discussed from patients’ and doctors’ points of view. This presentation will explore data on patient’s perceptions. What do patients know about root canal treatment, and why does this matter? What level of anxiety can be expected, and how can it be reduced? Pain, what should be expected, the intensity, the duration, and management? How does root canal treatment impact quality of life? How much does tooth retention and a smile matter? Differences between institutional outcome studies and real-world community endodontics will be explained. The positive economic impact of root canal treatment on the patient will be enumerated. Data on the critical impact of root canal treatment to the elderly and the vulnerable will be summarized. Ways to identify and understand vulnerable young adults will be explained. We dentists may assume that we are completely objective dispassionate scientific professionals implementing evidence-based practice, but the reality is that we also carry all the complex attributes of humanity. Just like patients, our cognitions, knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors are shaped by all of our interactions with the wider world. These will be elucidated, and key differences between endodontists and generalists will be documented. This presentation is both a looking glass, and a celebration, of the conduct and impact root canal treatment.