Gutta-percha disinfection: A knowledge, attitude, and practice study among endodontic postgraduate students in India

Abstract

Aim: (1) To evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practices about methods of gutta-percha disinfection by endodontic postgraduate students in India. (2) To check the sterility of two commercially available, freshly, and previously opened gutta-percha box which was exposed to the clinical environment. Materials and Methods: Data were collected in a prescribed format from 400 endodontic postgraduate students. The questionnaire was designed to evaluate their knowledge about standard sterilization protocols of gutta-percha points, attitude toward the utility of guidelines/protocols of sterilization in the success of root canal treatment and practice of these sterilization protocols. For microbial assay, 10 cones of freshly opened gutta-percha 6% taper of size 25 from diadent (Diadent Group International, Korea) Group A and Dentsply (Dentsply Maillefer, Switzerland) Group B. Cones from the same companies which was kept in chair side working environment during obturation were selected as Group C and Group D, respectively, for aerobic and anaerobic culturing. Results: Among the respondents 75% did not practice any disinfection protocols. Only 25% followed the disinfection of gutta-percha cones. In anaerobic culture Group B turned out to be positive in all samples, all other groups were negative. Conclusions: The endodontic postgraduate students possess adequate knowledge on disinfecting gutta-percha cones, but regular practice of this is uncommon. Microbial assay showed that even freshly opened gutta-percha cones might be contaminated.

Keywords

• Disinfection
• gutta-percha
• microbial assay
• postgraduates
• sterility