European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Root canal treatment is one of the most commonly performed procedures in a dental office. It is aimed at removing the entire pulpal tissue, debris and microbes and creating a three dimensional fluid impervious seal of the root canal. The failure of root canal treatment can occur due to a number of reasons like underfilling, missed canals, overextended obturation, persistent lesion,etc. Overextended obturation irritates the periapical tissues leading to periapical lesion and possible cystic transformation. The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence and management of cases of retreatment due to overextended obturation. The retrospective study involved analysis of case sheets of all patients undergoing retreatment RCT and data tabulation based on the following parameters: age, gender, tooth number, techniques of gutta percha retrieval, cleaning & shaping and obturation techniques. Using SPSS Version 20.0, categorical variables were expressed as frequency and percentages and significance of associations was tested using a Chi-Square test. A p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. Incomplete obturation was the most common reason for root canal retreatment (52.5%). The prevalence of overextended obturation as a reason for retreatment was 14.1%. The overall prevalence of retreatment due to overextended obturation was 0.10% among all other dental procedures. H files were highly used for GP retrieval (52.4%). The association between technique of cleaning and shaping & technique of obturation [p=0.021<0.05] was statistically significant. The use of H-files was mostly followed by lateral compaction technique of obturation while the use of rotary files was followed by matched taper single cone obturation. Incomplete obturation is the most common reason for retreatment and overextended obturation is the third most common reason. H-files were the most preferred for GP retrieval in cases of retreatment. The usage of solvent varied significantly based on the method of GP retrieval. The technique of cleaning and shaping determined the technique of obturation.