The prevalence and causes of wrong tooth root canal treatment in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional survey

Root canal treatment (RCT) is a common dental procedure performed by general dentists and endodontists. It is prone to complications, such as the wrong tooth treatment. The objective is to study the prevalence of wrong tooth RCT (WTRCT) among dental health-care practitioners in Saudi Arabia in addition to the causative factors leading to the treatment of the wrong tooth. A cross-sectional study was conducted among dentists (n = 393) in Saudi Arabia between May and November 2022. Respondent characteristics, WTRCT incident details, and procedures followed before RCT were collected from the survey. Minitab was used for the data analysis. Descriptive statistics, binary logistic regression, and t-test were used. A P < 0.05 was set for statistical significance. The number of respondent dentists was 390. The prevalence of dentists performing WTRCT accounted for 6.9% (n = 27). Misdiagnosis 14.67% was the leading cause of WTRCT, followed by the simultaneous placement of a rubber dam with a clamp and miscommunication 13.33%. WTRCT is more likely to occur in dentists who have more than 10 years of clinical experience since graduation (P = 0.004). Endodontists were about six times more likely to have this error occur (P = 0.001). The prevalence of WTRCT among dentists in Saudi Arabia is 6.9%, with the majority being general dentists and endodontists. Posterior teeth are found to be the most involved site. It is important to spread awareness among dentists about WTRCT and to be more cautious while performing treatment on multirooted teeth.