Irrigation Protocols-Knowledge, Attitude and Practice among Dental Professionals in India: A Web-based Survey

Background: Endodontic success eventually depends on the diligent elimination of pulpal remnants and infectious pathogens. The mechanical instrumentation alone would be insufficient to eradicate the intra-radicular infection and hence adequate emphasis on endodontic irrigation is considered essential. Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the knowledge, attitude, and practice of dental professionals regarding the irrigation protocols followed during endodontic therapy. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional web-based survey formulated in English consisting of structured 32 questions was sent to the dental professionals across India. A link to the online questionnaire survey was circulated through social media platform and the responses were collected. Participants entered the study voluntarily. The survey elicited a response from 383 dental professionals after a brief period of 1-month duration. The data were then analyzed using IBM SPSS for Windows, v. 21.0. Results: Of the total survey respondents, 134(35%) were general practitioners, 211(55.1%) were Postgraduates in Endodontics and 38(9.9%) were Endodontics. About 84.1% of the respondents consider Sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) as the best irrigant to be used for endodontic therapy and 71.5% use it routinely. Conclusion: This survey concluded that knowledge and awareness about endodontic irrigation are sufficient, but the implementation of the same in clinical practice is comparatively less. Nevertheless, the dental practitioners must update themselves in view of recent advancements in this regard, and perform the irrigation procedures more meticulously.