An Insight into Patient Preference of Choosing Extraction over Root Canal Treatment: A Cross-Sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Dental caries is one of the most prevalent oral diseases. It causes irreversible damage to the tooth structure and if left untreated leads to severe pain and infection. In such cases of progressed caries, Root Canal Treatment (RCT) or Extraction are prescribed treatment options. Objective: To explore the factors which influence the patients to choose extraction over RCT for restorable teeth using a researcher designed questionnaire. Study type, settings & duration: This cross-sectional study was carried out at Islamabad Dental Hospital, Islamabad from November 2018 to February 2019. Methodology: A non-probability, convenience sampling technique was used. A total of 280 patients who visited the Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery (OMFS) and Operative Department of Islamabad Dental Hospital were selected. The study included adult subjects above 18 years of age with restorable teeth who chose extraction. The questions were asked verbally by the principal investigators, and the responses were recorded on a questionnaire. Statistical Package for Social Statistics version 21.0 was used to enter and analyse the collected data. Results: Among the study participants, the majority (59.2%) chose rapid pain relief, followed by those citing lack of motivation (51.4%), lack of awareness (36.1%), monetary concerns (33.2%), and time constraints (24.6%). Conclusion: Majority of patients chose extraction over root canal treatment for restorable teeth because they wanted rapid pain relief.

Keywords

• dental caries
• root canal treatment
• extraction