Decision making in endodontics among the endodontic profession and general practitioners in Norway

ABSTRACT Background: Considerable variation between and within groups of NEF members and general practitioners (GPs) has been shown in the choice of endodontic retreatment options. However, uniform criteria and consensus in decision-making would be of importance when the clinical training in the dental school is arranged in a community setting by GPs employed as clinical instructors. Objectives: To assess the level of consensus in decision making in endodontic re-treatment among members of the Norwegian Endodontic Society (NEF) and a group of GPs employed at the extern clinics associated with the Institute of Clinical Dentistry at the University of Tromsø, Norway. Methods: All 65 practicing NEF members with valid e-mail addresses and all 39 GPs employed at the 10 extern clinics were addressed. A questionnaire with 26 radiographs from potential endodontic re-treatment cases and a fabricated patient history common to all of them was sent online by Questback internet program. Six treatment options were given, four of them suggesting active treatment. The results were analysed with SPSS (17.0) and Likelihood Ratio was calculated to show the differences between the groups. Results: 42 NEF members (65%) and 26 GPs (66%) responded. Half of the cases showed statistical significant differences (p