Assessment of Knowledge, Awareness, and Treatment Preferences Regarding Root Canal Therapy Among Endodontic Emergency Patients

Year 2025, Volume: 9 Issue: 3, 157 - 162, 31.12.2025

İdil Özden , Rasmiya Guliyeva

https://doi.org/10.29228/erd.108

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, awareness, and treatment preferences regarding root canal therapy (RCT) among patients presenting to an endodontic emergency clinic, and to identify the factors influencing these preferences.
Materials and Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional survey was conducted between March 1 and April 1, 2025, among patients aged 18 and above who visited the Endodontic Emergency Clinic at Marmara University Faculty of Dentistry with acute dental pain. A structured questionnaire comprising four sections and 18 items was administered. The minimum required sample size was calculated as 197 based on population estimates, and 216 participants were included. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS v29. Categorical variables were compared using the Chi-square test, with a significance level set at p<0.05.
Results: Among the 216 participants, 52.3% were female, and the median age was 33. While 30.6% of patients reported using traditional methods, 30.6% used antibiotics without prescription before seeking professional care. Only 21.3% were willing to pay high costs for quality RCT, and 53.7% preferred treatment by an endodontist. No statistically significant association was found between sociodemographic variables and RCT knowledge or preferences (p>0.05). Pain during treatment and post-treatment complications were not significantly associated with the clinician’s level of expertise.
Conclusion: Knowledge and awareness regarding RCT were found to be independent of sociodemographic factors. Educational strategies to improve public awareness should be designed inclusively, without demographic segmentation. Broader studies are recommended to enhance generalizability and explore the influence of health literacy and cultural perceptions on treatment decisions.

Keywords

Dental emergency , patient awareness , root canal treatment , treatment preferences.

Ethical Statement

The study population comprised patients aged 18 years and older who presented to the Endodontic Emergency Clinic of XX University Faculty of Dentistry with acute dental pain and voluntarily consented to participate in the survey during the study period. Informed consent was obtained from all participants in the study. The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards outlined in the 2024 Declaration of Helsinki and received approval from the Non-Interventional Research Ethics Committee of XX University's Faculty of Health Sciences (Approval No. 2025/060).

Endodonti Acil Kliniğine Başvuran Hastaların Kanal Tedavisine Yönelik Bilgi, Farkındalık ve Tedavi Tercihlerinin Değerlendirilmesi

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışmanın amacı, endodonti acil kliniğine başvuran hastaların kanal tedavisine (KT) yönelik bilgi düzeyleri, farkındalıkları ve tedavi tercihlerini değerlendirmek ve bu tercihleri etkileyen faktörleri belirlemektir.
Gereç ve Yöntem: Tanımlayıcı kesitsel bu anket çalışması, 1 Mart–1 Nisan 2025 tarihleri arasında, Marmara Üniversitesi Diş Hekimliği Fakültesi Endodonti Acil Kliniği’ne akut diş ağrısı ile başvuran 18 yaş ve üzeri hastalarla yürütülmüştür. Dört bölüm ve 18 sorudan oluşan yapılandırılmış bir anket uygulanmıştır. Evren büyüklüğü dikkate alınarak gerekli minimum örneklem sayısı 197 olarak hesaplanmış ve çalışmaya 216 katılımcı dâhil edilmiştir. Veriler IBM SPSS v29 programı ile analiz edilmiştir. Kategorik değişkenler arasında karşılaştırma Ki-Kare testi ile yapılmış, anlamlılık düzeyi p<0,05 olarak kabul edilmiştir.
Bulgular: Katılımcıların %52,3’ü kadın olup, ortanca yaş 33’tür. Katılımcıların %30,6’sı geleneksel yöntemler, %30,6’sı ise profesyonel yardımdan önce reçetesiz antibiyotik kullandığını bildirmiştir. Yalnızca %21,3’ü kaliteli bir KT için yüksek maliyet ödemeye istekliyken, %53,7’si doğrudan bir endodontisti tercih etmiştir. Sosyodemografik değişkenlerle KT’ye ilişkin bilgi veya tercih düzeyleri arasında istatistiksel olarak anlamlı bir ilişki bulunmamıştır (p>0,05). Tedavi sırasındaki ağrı ve sonrasında görülen komplikasyonlar ile işlemi gerçekleştiren hekimin uzmanlık düzeyi arasında anlamlı bir ilişki saptanmamıştır.
Sonuç: Kanal tedavisine ilişkin bilgi ve farkındalık düzeyleri, sosyodemografik faktörlerden bağımsız bulunmuştur. Toplum genelinde farkındalığı artırmaya yönelik eğitim stratejilerinin, demografik özelliklerden bağımsız şekilde kapsayıcı biçimde planlanması gerekmektedir. Gelecekte yapılacak daha geniş kapsamlı çalışmalar, sağlık okuryazarlığı ve kültürel algıların tedavi tercihlerine etkisini derinlemesine inceleyebilir.

Keywords

Endodontik acil , hasta farkındalığı , kanal tedavisi

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