Retreatment Decisions—A Comparison Between General Practitioners and Endodontic Postgraduates

One of the most subjective areas with regard to interexaminer variations is the dental radiograph. The variations in radiographic interpretation lead to differences in treatment planning decisions. This study compared the endodontic retreatment planning decisions for endodontically treated teeth between 12 general practitioners and 12 endodontic postgraduate students. Utilizing dental radiographs of completed cases, both groups were asked to make treatment choices based on two hypothetical ages of a case: 1 or 3 yr postoperatively. General practitioners chose to initiate treatment at an earlier date and also chose more extensive treatment modalities. The age of the root filling was looked on as more important in treatment planning by the endodontics postgraduates.