How many teeth are suitable for Minimally Invasive Access Cavities
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Assessment of teeth requiring root canal treatment for the suitability of minimally invasive (small) access cavities
IRAS ID
332492
Contact name
Radhika Patel
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Professor Bashir Al-Hashimi Vice President (Research and Innovation) King’s College London
Duration of Study in the UK
3 years, 0 months, 1 days
Research summary
Access cavity preparation is the first step in Endodontic treatment. It allows locating all the canal orifices in order to successfully chemo-mechanically prepare the root canals prior to filling the canals to prevent or treat apical disease. This allows the tooth to be symptom free as well as in function. Recent studies have advocated the use of minimally invasive Endodontic cavities in order to preserve pericervical dentine. This part of the dentine can reduce the risk of an unrestorable tooth fracture after Endodontic treatment, which can sometimes be catastrophic and lead to the tooth requiring an extraction. However, the studies involved ex-vivo studies and the use of intact extracted teeth (i.e. the teeth were not decayed nor restored). This raises questions about the suitability of minimally invasive access cavities in reality as it is rare to come across an intact tooth that requires Endodontics treatment, especially posteriorly.
Therefore, the aim of this study is to assess how many teeth being treated in the dental department at Guy's hospital are suitable for minimally invasive Endodontics access cavities. This will be carried out at KCL Dental Institute at Guy's Hospital. Volunteers will be given written information about the process (see attached information sheet) and be given time to consider participation. Fully informed written consent will be obtained, after answering any questions patients may have. Patients requiring Endodontic treatment will have clinical photographs taken in order to assess the tooth for its suitability. The treatment will then be done routinely by the dental student/dentist looking after them.
The clinical photographs will be anonymised and calibrated Endodontic examiners will view the scans and photographs to determine whether the teeth are suitable for minimally invasive Endodontic access cavities.
REC name
London - West London & GTAC Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
24/PR/0174
Date of REC Opinion
27 Feb 2024
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion