ENDODONTICALLY TREATED TEETH RESTORATION ASSESSMENT, DECISION MAKING AND TREATMENT OPTION AMONG DENTAL PRACTITIONERS IN SAUDI ARABIA

This study aimed to assess the indirect restorative treatment plan decision-making of endodontically treated teeth (ETT) made by dental practitioners and their knowledge and perceptions of the available treatment alternatives in Saudi Arabia. A structured, close-ended, and self-administered questionnaire consisting of personal characteristics and various questions on the treatment concept and materials for restoring ETT were assessed among the study participants. The questionnaire was administered online and manually, and 425 responses were obtained. Descriptive statistics of frequency distribution and percentages were calculated for the categorical data. In addition, The Chi-square test or Fisher's exact tests were applied to compare responses across various characteristics of the study participants. A total of 425 responses were obtained from the study participants. The study participants commonly used post, core, and crown to restore the posterior endodontically treated tooth. Nearly half (49.40%) agreed that prefabricated fiber post was the most common type of post used for restoring posterior endodontically treated teeth. Almost 60.2% of study participants agreed to place a post after every endodontic treatment. Nearly 61.9% are not confident in doing endocrowns, and 69% did not attend any workshops on it. 31.8% reported that they got familiar with endocrowns through social media. Statistically significant associations were found between participants' characteristics and several items of ETT knowledge. The majority of study participants regarded fiber posts and crowned as the most common endodontic treatment. Undergraduate endodontic instruction is lacking.