(PR25) Perceived Competence in Endodontic Procedures Among Officers in the Dental Corps: A Web-based Survey

Abstract: The Individual Critical Task List (ICTL) was developed by the Army to ensure all dental providers can perform certain procedures that are frequently encountered in a deployed environment. The endodontic task list includes obtaining a diagnosis, providing palliative treatment, and performing non-surgical root canal therapy for anterior and premolar teeth. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the self-perceived competence in endodontic procedures among dentists in the US Army Dental Corps (DC). A link to a SurveyMonkey (Momentive.ai, San Mateo) survey was sent to all DC dental providers. Survey data indicated that most participants reported feeling very confident in obtaining a diagnosis, providing palliative treatment (addressing acute swellings or replanting avulsed teeth), and completing root canal procedure on anterior teeth. Perceived competence was significantly reduced as treatment moved posteriorly for premolars or molars. Of all respondents, 50% reported their endodontic requirement during dental school being five or less teeth. Furthermore, over 50% of respondents had not completed a root canal in over five years. Our study identifies opportunities to improve providers’ confidence in performing a variety of essential, endodontic treatments. Furthermore, Army dental specialists other than endodontists reported the longest timeframe ( > 5 years) from their last completed endodontic procedure.