A Survey of The Understanding on Root Canal Disinfection Among Dental Students in Kulliyyah Of Dentistry, IIUM.

Introduction: Insufficient evidence in root canal disinfection contributes to differences in clinical practice. Previous surveys have been conducted on general dental practitioners and endodontists but on the undergraduate dental students are not present. This study aimed to assess the understanding on root canal disinfection among IIUM dental students and to come out with a guideline for root canal disinfection procedure in students’ clinics. Materials and methods: A set of questionnaire, consisted of multiple aspects related to root canal disinfection such as the selection of root canal irrigant, the awareness on the concentration of root canal irrigant, the practice of removing the smear layer and the use of adjunct was given to the 91 dental students (fourth- and fifth-year dental students). Results: The majority of fourth- and fifth-year dental students had completed 1 and 4 root canal treatments respectively. There was no statistically significance difference between fourth- and fifth-year dental students with regard to the selection of root canal irrigants, but the results showed statistically significance differences for the awareness on the concentration of root canal irrigant, the practice of removing the smear layer and the use of adjuncts in root canal disinfection procedure. Conclusions: Dental students who had more experience at providing root canal treatment on patients had sound knowledge and better understanding on root canal disinfection protocol.